Politics & Government

Penn National Make Initial Pitch For Slots Parlor to Selectmen

Residents will be asked to vote on the proposed slots parlor in a special election sometime in early September.


Despite sweltering heat, Tewksbury residents turned out to hear what representatives from Penn National Gaming had to say about the possibility of bringing a slots parlor to a 30 acre plot off of Ames Pond Drive.

Steven Snyder, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Penn, emphasized that the focus of the proposed project would be working with public officials and residents to determine what kind of facility would best suit Tewksbury.

"We are not just about big glitz and Las Vegas, we're about the communities in which we do business," Snyder said. "We also have to be sensitive of the host community, and reaching out to surrounding communities to make sure the impacts we generate are minimized."

Snyder said design and construction plans for the $200 million project would be drawn up over the next several weeks, with each new design plan being put up on the Penn National website so Tewksbury residents can follow along each step of the way.

"This is going to be and must be a transparent process and you will see this process as it goes from a plain sheet of paper to designs you will vote on," Snyder said.

According to Jay Snowden, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations for Penn, the proposed Tewksbury facility would include 1,250 slot machines, video blackjack machines, video poker machines and other video table games.

Snowden said the project would create 1,000 direct and indirect construction jobs, as well as more than 500 casino related jobs. The facility is estimated to generate more than $3 million in annual tax revenue. 

The average salary of a Penn National employee is $40,000 including benefits, according to Snowden. 

Selectmen Chairman Scott Wilson asked the Penn National representatives what impact their facilities had on crime in the communities they are located in. 

Eric Schippers, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at Penn, said many communities Penn has partnered with have seen crime go down since the company opened facilities. 

"The number one driver of crime is high unemployment," Schippers said. "We provide an alternative to those who have unfortunately decided to turn to crime, training and a job."

In response to concerns from residents that the slots parlor could one day turn into a full fledged casino, Snyder said the designs  for the Tewksbury facility do not plan for that possibility.

Selectman Jim Wentworth asked the representatives from Penn what impact the proposed facility would have on traffic in the area.

Snyder said that due to the nature of the facility, which would remain open 24 hours, there would not necessarily be "peak hours," but noted an estimate of 4,000 to 5,000 vehicles per day each weekend could be expected.

"We recognize that intersection at rush hour is challenging," Snyder said.

Selectman Todd Johnson asked the Penn representatives what the biggest value of bringing their facility to the Tewksbury community would be. 

"We not only roll up our sleeves and serve on chambers and regional tourism boards, but we open our doors to blood drives and food drives," Schippers said. 

Snyder said it would be incumbent upon Penn to assist town officials and residents in doing research on the project and in determining whether Penn is the right fit for Tewksbury.

"There is a lot of work to be done. We recognize the burden is on us to do the educating and public outreach," Snyder said. "We would expect to support you financially in respect to any consultants you would want to undertake."

Town Manager Richard Montuori noted the schedule to apply to be considered as the community to host the sole slots parlor in the state would be tight; the deadline to apply is Oct. 4. 

Montuori said he expects a Special Town Meeting to be held in late August in order to seek the zoning changes needed to build the facility, and a special election in early September for the final vote.

In terms of the revenue generated from the facility, Montuori said he anticipates most of it going toward infrastructure within the town.

"A large majority of this revenue is going to go to infrastructure, to improving the community," Montuori said. "Our drainage system, our sidewalks, our facilities."

Several residents spoke up in opposition to the facility, citing reasons including decreasing property values, increased traffic and a short timeframe for approving the project. 

Deborah Shipp, pastor at Tewksbury United Methodist Church, said she worried that slot machines would keep residents in the facility longer, spending more money.

"The slot machines are powerful revenue generating forces to keep people in there gambling more money," Shipp said. "For me it is a poor deal for the town."

Resident Bob Wald said he was concerned that Penn had previously been turned down seeking a location for a slots parlor by several other communities before coming to Tewksbury. 

Representatives from Penn noted that they have not entered another community in Massachusetts looking to build a slots parlor, Tewksbury is the only one.

As the residents comments portion of the forum came to a close, Wilson urged residents to do research on other communities that have decided to move forward with similar facilities to the one Penn is proposing in Tewksbury.

"I think residents should get educated on it and make a decision," Wilson said. "It is my belief that anytime we discuss an issue that people are passionate about, if you have a respectful conversation and try to understand where both sides are coming from, it tends to be a better process."

Wentworth noted there would be more than one forum in the coming weeks where Tewksbury residents could interact and ask questions to representatives from Penn directly. 


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