Public Hearing Set For Worcester Slots
Members of the public will have their first official chance to be heard regarding a proposal to bring a $200 million slots parlor to Worcester.
According to the city clerk's office, there will be a joint committee meeting for the economic development and public safety departments at 6:30 p.m., Monday, April 8.
The purpose of the meeting will be to get public input on a host agreement between the city and developers proposing to build the state's only slots parlor on 14 acres of vacant property near Kelley Square.
Neil Bluhm, chairman of Mass Gaming & Entertainment LLC, and Richard Friedman of Cambridge-based Carpenter & Co. have proposed a slots parlor on the vacant property owned by metal manufacturer Wyman-Gordon.
In meetings with city councilors Wednesday, Bluhm, Friedman and representatives from their companies laid out further details for their plans.
Councilor-At-Large Konstantina Lukes said they want to build the slots parlor on the Wyman-Gordon site, with a first-class hotel going in at an undetermined location downtown. The hotel is expected to have about 160 rooms.
According to MGE, the developments would bring 600 jobs to town and the slots facility would see 1,000 to 1,200 visitors a day.
District 3 Councilor George Russell, who said he's leaning in favor of the proposal, said, "The thing I liked the most was that they had said that they'll give preference to hiring folks from Worcester. That's a big thing for me."
Russell has requested that items be added to the city council's agenda for April 2 regarding the gaming proposals. He said he wants to get input from city departments including police, public works and public health as to what issues they believe could arise with the proposed development.
The proposal must be approved by the city manager and council before ultimately going to voters for final say. Worcester is in the running for the slots parlor, going against three other proposals.
But Russell was optimistic.
"If they didn't think they'd have a very good chance of (getting approval for Worcester), I don't think these folks would be wasting their time," he said.
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