Bonney Drive Resident Takes a Stand
March 16, 2013
Hi Neighbor:
There is now a major effort being made by a Colorado developer and Foxwoods Casino to build a major new casino in Milford, MA. If that happens it will definitely impact life in Holliston and other surrounding communities - mostly not for the good. Right now the MA Gaming Commission is vetting the qualification of the bidders. The next step will be to grant a license and proceed.
Why should you care?
1) On average home prices near casinos fall by about 20%. As shown on the attached map the proposed Milford casino will be only three miles from Bonney Drive.
2) Casinos are designed specifically to draw people in and keep them there. There is very little additional business for any other local businesses.
3) 80% of the casino workers in Connecticut currently earn about $22,000 per year - poverty for a family. Because of the low wages it is hard to attract local people in the quantity needed, so the casinos recruit workers who will accept less from Eastern Europe and Asia. That leads to “hot bedding,” i.e., renting rooms in local houses from 12 hours per day. It also leaves the local schools scrambling to find and pay for teachers who can speak and educate non-English speaking students in numerous foreign languages.
4) Traffic on highways and local roads becomes a nightmare.
5) Casinos never grow smaller.
This week Stephanie Crimmins, one the principal opponents to the proposed casino in Foxboro, came to Holliston to explain the reasoning and actions taken there. A video of her presentation is available for your review at ttp://www.hopkintonnews.com/index.html. There was also a good summary later published in the HollistonReporter.com (http://www.hollistonreporter.com/article/7956/Foxborough-Shares-Its-Casino-Lessons.html).
Whether you are for or against the idea of a casino in Milford, decision day is rapidly approaching. It is very important that affected residents know all of the facts and make their preference known. Regrettable only residents of Milford will have the deciding vote but they need to understand that the consequences of their decisions will not only affect the Town of Milford.
Please look into this casino issue and talk to your friends and neighbors. I hope that you will see the costs and other negative far outweigh any short-term benefits. Collectively we need to do anything and everything we can to fight this.
Sincerely,
Jeff and Carol Weiss
I agree with Jeff's points and wish to amplify themt a bit. There is nothing but downsides for Holliston in this entire casino debate for all of the reasons stated and more. One of the most gauling problems is that the leadership on Beacon Hill has seen to it that only the community that "houses" casinos will have a vote on them. This is appalling. Holliston will be impacted much more than most of Milford and yet we have no official say. Although Rep. Dykema and Sen. Spilka have spoken up for us, their voices have fallen on deaf ears. The leadership tends to see casinos as cure all to financial problems facing the state. This is a short sighted view and ignores the balck hole that it puts neighboring communities into. Lately Holliston residents have been known for being very quiet on issues (except for a few) including town elections, town meetings, etc. As a community we HAVE to stand up and be heard. If we sit by and let "someone else do it" we will get run over because ONLY Holliston residents know what is best for our town. There should be joint meetings with the governments of both towns and other joint meetings by citizens groups opposed to this project. This is the time to stand up.
Mark Schultz | 2013-03-20 08:59:29
Don't dump this on the police Chief. He has little to no say in this.
Jeff | 2013-03-19 17:22:06
I no longer live in Holliston, but I feel that a casino in Milford would ruin the integrity of Holliston and the surrounding towns. Holliston always was, and still is a sleepy community and I hope that it stays that way. It is my dream to move back one day.
Former Hollistonian | 2013-03-19 16:09:34
no good at all and i just moved here in 2008 with 2 kids. will move if built for sure.
Reed | 2013-03-19 10:16:25
I live on Rt 16 of the Milford/Holliston line and do not welcome this to the Town of Milford nor do most of the folks in this area.
INK | 2013-03-19 09:50:02
I live in Milford and am totally against it. Most Milfordians are
Kathleen | 2013-03-19 09:07:11
Hopefully our Selectmen here in Holliston as well as our Police Chief will be on top of this and bring pressure to bear on the Milford Selectmen to vote against this proposal.
Citizen | 2013-03-19 08:04:46