Hartford Business Journal

14 Hartford Business Journal • November 2, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com from page 1 don't intend to pursue one, but are watching intently the recruiting efforts of the others. At stake, the towns say, is the potential ability to negotiate directly with casino operators for a cut of gaming revenue, and the opportunity to attract fresh real and personal property to their tax rolls and spur economic development. In addition, whether or not they land a casino, officials from several towns, includ- ing Enfield and Windsor Locks, say they likely will pursue remuneration to cover the burden of casino-goers on their roads and other pub- lic and emergency services. Meantime, one expert on the economic impact of a casino says the biggest winners for jobs would be the two of every three Connecticut adults who have only a high school diploma. They would be among the qualified candidates for positions such as dealers, casino-floor supervi- sors, food and beverage preparers/servers, cash-cage workers and other back-office staff. There is no guarantee, of course, another gambling site will even be built in Connecticut. The state legislature, which gave the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes permission to begin the process for building a new casino in north central Connecticut to counter new competition from the planned MGM Springfield casino, still must give any final site approval. Weighing the proposals An East Hartford casino at the former Showcase Cinemas property just off the town's Silver Lane business corridor could revive retail business and new development along the once-vibrant commercial strip that Pratt & Whitney Co. and Rentschler Field now anchor, said Mayor Marcia Leclerc. "We'd like to explore the full potential of this,'' Leclerc said. She declined to say how much her town expects to derive financially from a casino. Freeway access from I-84 onto Silver Lane and to a casino is one of the major attributes of the former movie-theater site, she said. Leclerc said state transportation department counts show 60,000 more vehicles daily traverse I-84 that links the state's northern section to downtown Hartford than the I-91 north-south connector that will eventually funnel gamblers to a planned casino in downtown Springfield. MMCT Venture LLC, the Mashantucket Pequot/Mohegan Tribal joint venture, is pursuing a gaming venue on the movie- theater site. Separately, Silver Lane Partners LLC holds an option to acquire the long-shuttered Showcase property. In East Windsor, either the shuttered Showcase Cinemas property or nearby vacant former Wal-Mart store site, or a combination of both, are ideal casino venues, First Selectman Denise Menard said. With Windsor Locks out of the casino chase for the moment, East Windsor is breathing a bit easier. "It encourages me,'' Menard said. "It's one less competitor.'' Accessible from several points along I-91, an East Wind- sor casino would bring jobs to her town, as well as expand its property-tax base with the casino facility and related devel- opment, she said. Plus, the gambler and visitor traffic it would spur would benefit the town's lodging, retail and services businesses. Menard said it's too early to say precisely how much revenue the town could generate from casino property taxes and a negotiated share of the casino's gambling take. In Windsor Locks, a disappointed First Selectman Steven N. Wawruck Jr. says he doesn't know if there is a next step in his town's efforts to land a casino after the board of select- men shot down a bid to submit a proposal. Windsor Locks' generous freeway access to and from I-91, plus around 1,500 existing hotel-motel rooms, he contends, would be attractive to house casino visitors. Before last week's vote, Wawruck said he was reserv- ing full endorsement of the Connecticut Airport Authority's pursuit of a casino at Bradley International Airport, but that he had an "obligation to residents'' to at least look into the possibility that it could create jobs and/or open new revenue sources to relieve the tax burden on property owners. In Enfield, Interim Town Manager Lee Erdmann says the town won't be pursuing a casino. Noting the award earlier this year of a Massachusetts casino license to MGM, Erdma- nn says its proximity means potential hiring prospects for his residents. In addition, the diversity and affordability of Enfield's housing market makes it attractive for casino work- ers who need places to live. It also means, he said, potentially a spillover of traffic and crime for Enfield. The town would be eager, Erdmann said, for a seat at the table to discuss remuneration for any perceived or actual burden to town services and resources from having a casino nearby. Clyde W. Barrow, who has been a paid adviser to gaming operators, including Connecticut's Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos, said casinos typically employ a "local host agree- ment'' covering how much host and neighboring towns col- lect to cover upkeep on town roads and emergency and other services used by the casinos and their guests. Whichever community lands a casino, employment will be the big prize, said Barrow, a former UMass professor and now political science chair at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, in South Texas. "There will be some net new employment,'' he said. In particular, Barrow said, those with only high-school degrees in or near towns with a casino have a good shot at landing a gaming job that pays on average $40,000 to $50,000 a year. Host towns often negotiate for their residents to get first shot at casino-job openings, he said. However, new gaming venues also draw experienced talent from gaming states and regions. Also, the career upside for gaming workers can be sub- stantial, Barrow said. Casino floor managers earn between $75,000 and $80,000 a year. "Casinos tend to look inward in how they promote people without a high-school diploma,'' he said. "You could work your way up from a dealer to a floor manager.'' g Hartford's gain is New Britain's, too I n the nearly 12 months since the Capital City lured away the neighboring Hardware City's long-time minor-league baseball team, the former Rock Cats, with a new ball- park that anchors the planned Downtown North redevel- opment, New Britain has witnessed some redevelopment vigor of its own. It has recruited another minor-league team to begin play next season in New Britain's ballpark. Last week, the city began demolishing its former downtown police station, to attract development interest in the site. Mayor Erin E. Stewart and other city and business leaders also attended last Wednesday's announcement by a New York partnership to redevelop a former consumer- appliances factory into a $35 million community of 150 luxury condominiums. It would be the biggest private development in the city in 50 years, she said. Afterwards, Stewart con- firmed her interest in seeing a casino within the city's limits. Asked about her city's economic-development progress since losing the Rock Cats, Stewart could barely contain her- self. She says the loss of the ball team, plus the opening of the CTfastrak terminal downtown last March, has sparked numerous inquiries from local and out-of-state developers about opportunities in New Britain "If anything, we've gained a whole lot more,'' she said. "We've proved that there's a lot more happening here because of it. Good luck, Hartford, but we're going to keep it moving.'' — GREGORY SEAY (Clockwise from left) East Windsor's shuttered Showcase Cinemas, along with a nearby vacant Wal-Mart store; rendering of the casino transformation of another empty Showcase Cinemas in East Hartford; Bradley International Airport's operator fell short in efforts to bring gaming to its Windsor Locks grounds. Any casino built on private land would be subject to local property taxes, among the appeals to host towns. New Britain Mayor Erin E. Stewart at last Wednesday's announcement of plans to convert a vacant factory at 321 Ellis Street into a $35 million condo community, Luxury Residences At Ellis Commons. Low entry-skill jobs among casinos' perks ▶ ▶ " My door is wide open to talking about it,'' New Britain Mayor Erin E. Stewart said about a casino for her city.

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