Casino Plans Unveiled: Developers Promise to Be a Good Neighbor

Suffolk Downs and Caesar’s Entertainment officials unveiled their $1 billion casino/entertainment resort  plans (see story page 1) Monday at a press conference in East Boston. It’s certainly one of the biggest stories of the year in the Greater Boston area as Suffolk seeks to bring a 300-room hotel, a casino gambling facility, and a full-scale entertainment venue next door to Winthrop.

Looking at the rendering of the proposed casino, it’s a spectacular project. Caesar’s is known worldwide as the most innovative retailer of restaurants and shops that complement a casino/entertainment facility.

The casino complex will provide up to 2,500 construction jobs and once this incredible facility is built, there will be thousands of permanent jobs in all aspects of the casino, entertainment, and restaurant industry. So many new jobs being created in this economy is a welcome sight for residents throughout the area.

Town Manager James McKenna, the Town Council, Police Chief Terence Delehanty, and Fire Chief Paul Flanagan  have done a great job staying on top of all issues and plans related to the casino and its impact on the town. Winthrop is a  “surrounding community”  and will enter negotiations for a mitigation agreement with Suffolk Downs.

The Council at its meeting Tuesday night decided to invite Suffolk Downs Chief Operation Officer Chip Tuttle to its June 19 meeting. The dialogue is continuing and there is a lot of excitement about the possibility of having a $1 billion facility so close to our town borders.

On a personal note, we remember well Chip Tuttle when he was a highly respected journalist for the Salem News. During his last appearance before the Town Council, Tuttle was professional and answered every question thoroughly from our residents at the meeting. It’s an exciting time at Suffolk Downs and for those of us who have lived here all our lives.