What you need to know
- The Expanded Gaming Act created the Community Mitigation Fund to help entities offset costs related to the construction and operation of a gaming establishment.
- The application period for the 2018 Community Mitigation Fund is now closed, and awards were voted upon by the Commission in a public meeting.
- The Community Mitigation Fund may be used to offset costs related to both Category 1 full casino facilities (MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor) and the state’s Category 2 slots-only facility (Plainridge Park Casino).
About the Community Mitigation Fund
Since its inception, the Commission has worked to help the Commonwealth realize the benefits of expanded gaming. These benefits include the thousands of expected jobs for Massachusetts residents in the areas of construction, hospitality and tourism, and the generation of millions of dollars in new revenue for the Commonwealth and its cities and towns. The Commission has also worked to help the Commonwealth avoid or minimize potential negative impacts associated with the arrival of expanded gaming. As part of the effort to help offset impacts that may result from the development and operation of gaming facilities in the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Community Mitigation Fund (“CMF”) as part of the Expanded Gaming Act.
The Commission looks forward to an ongoing dialogue with communities and other interested parties regarding the use of these funds in the future.
2018 Community Mitigation Fund Awards
Reserve Planning Grants
- City of Holyoke: $35,000 to engage a consulting firm to coordinate staff and community stakeholders in a Holyoke Tourism Plan. The remaining $65,000 will be reserved to implement the deliverables of the Tourism Plan.
- Award: $100,000
- Town of Attleboro: Traffic study of and improvements (e.g. signal coordination) to a study area that consists of Route 123 from its intersections at Route 1, northerly along Route 1 to the North Attleborough corporate line.
- Award: $100,000
- Town of Wrentham: Creation of new Route 1 Zoning Regulations to address increased development interest in the corridor resulting from the Plainridge Park Casino.
- Award: $40,000
Workforce Development Pilot Program Grants
- Boston Private Industry Council: Funding for the Greater Boston Casino Pipe Line Initiative (GBCPI) including funding for English for Hospitality classes, “Community Supports” local outreach to jobseekers, Best Pre-apprentice program funding and Gaming School Scholarships.
- Award: $300,000
- Holyoke Community College: Work Ready collaboration between Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools (SPS) including $70,000 for HCC gaming scholarships, $57,306 for HCC / STCC line cook training; $100,000 for year two of the SPS Ahead of the Game program for literacy and math skills GED / HiSET; and $82,693 for year two of the STCC / HCC Hampden Prep Program for local education (high school credential) and career readiness exploration and certificate.
- Award: $300,000
- MetroNorth Regional Employment Board: Metro North Casino Careers Consortium (MNCCC) including $95,000 for the NECAT Everett Culinary Training Program, $10,000 for the Career Casino Advisors program, $60,000 for English for Employment, and $50,000 for Job Readiness Training
- Award: $300,000
Transportation Planning Grants
- City of Boston: Assistance with the design of the Sullivan Square/Rutherford Avenue Project.
- Award: $200,000
- City of Chelsea: 100% Design / Engineering of Beacham / Williams Street Corridor
- Award: $200,000
- Cities of Everett & Somerville: Design & permitting of station enhancements / a weather protected connecting structure (Connector) to provide enhanced access to the Assembly Square MBTA Station. A completed Connector would work in tandem with a proposed bicycle and pedestrian bridge to provide connections from the Station to the Encore Boston Harbor facility, the City of Everett, and regional bicycle and pedestrian paths.
- Award: $425,000
- City of Medford: Survey, completion of documents, completion of Final Design documents and complete permitting for the proposed South Medford Connector bicycle and pedestrian path, designed to provide enhance regional connections.
- Award: $198,600
- City of Revere & Town of Saugus: Funding for preliminary traffic designs for elements within Phase 1 of the Route 1 Improvement Project in order to plan for potential Encore Boston Harbor traffic.
- Award: $275,000
- Town of West Springfield: Professional engineering consultant to collect data, analyze and design improvements to portions of both Park Street (Route 20) and Park Avenue (Route 20) between the intersections of Elm Street (Route 20) and Union Street, easterly to the North End Bridge Rotary at Route 5 to mitigate transportation impacts associated with additional casino traffic.
- Award: $200,000
Non-Transportation Planning Grants
- City of Malden: Funding to engage a planning consultant to assist in the completion of a Broadway Corridor Framework Plan to study existing physical and economic conditions, project gaming facility related impacts on the Corridor, provide recommendations relating to land use, economic development, and the public realm, and provide an action plan to implement these recommendations.
- Award: $50,000
- City of Revere: $42,000 to continue the services of an economic development consultant to address Encore Boston Harbor opportunities over an additional period of 6 months. The balance of the grant, $8,000, would be used to undertake marketing and promotional efforts about these development opportunities and the potential linkage with the Encore Boston Harbor Casino.
- Award: $50,000
- Town of West Springfield: Funding for an architectural and engineering consultant to conduct a Police Facility Needs Assessment and Location Study. The Town of West Springfield will experience space constraints in its current facility resulting from the hiring of eight new officers to address potential MGM Springfield calls for service.
- Award: $40,000
Tribal Gaming Technical Assistance Grant
- Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District: A reserve for tribal technical assistance planning studies to assist communities surrounding the proposed Taunton gaming facility. The release of funding requires a vote of the Commisson that construction of the proposed facility will likely commence prior to or during FY19.
- Award: $200,000
Specific Impact Grants
- Hampden County District Attorney: $100,000 for the hiring of an additional Assistant District Attorney to assist with potential increased caseloads that may result from the operation of the MGM Springfield facility, and $25,000 to develop a tracking system for casino related cases. The grant provides flexibility to allow the DA’s office to pay for the portion of a victim witness advocate.
- Award: $125,000
- Hampden County Sheriff’s Department – FY18: Lease assistance for the Western Mass. Correctional Alcohol Center for 2018 and 2019. The Western Mass. Correctional Alcohol Center needed to move from its prior location within the footprint of the MGM Springfield facility.
- Award: $365,000
- Hampden County Sheriff’s Department – FY19: Lease assistance for the Western Mass. Correctional Alcohol Center for 2018 and 2019. The Western Mass. Correctional Alcohol Center needed to move from its prior location within the footprint of the MGM Springfield facility.
- Award: $400,000
- Massachusetts State Police: Hiring, Training, and Compensation of Troopers for the Expansion of the Gaming Enforcement Unit.
- Award: $1,814,544
- Springfield Police: Training and equipment for Recruit Officers to attend Police Training Academy, and additional personnel costs. Five Springfield Police Officers and one Lieutenant will be assigned the MGM Springfield Gaming Enforcement Unit.
- Award: $160,498.32
Further detail on this year’s program may be found by contacting Joe Delaney. Mr. Delaney can be reached at joseph.e.delaney@state.ma.us. The Commission’s address is 101 Federal Street, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02110.