A Request for Public Comment: Amended Plainridge Park Casino Workforce Plan
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission hereby requests public comment on the draft amended Plainridge Park Casino Strategic Plan To Engage & Recruit the Diverse, Under & Unemployed Workforce Population (Workforce Plan).
Please email comments to mgccomments@state.ma.us with ‘Plainridge Park Casino Workforce Plan’ in the subject line. All public comments are due to the MGC by March 27, 2019.
Plainridge Park Casino, at the request of MGC staff, has amended its Workforce Plan originally submitted to the Commission in August 2014 before its June 2015 opening. Plainridge Park has submitted this updated workforce development plan with revised diversity and local hiring goals and a new Massachusetts resident goal that takes into account the lower unemployment rates, more competitive gaming market, the neighboring economy of Rhode Island, as well as the recent changes to the Massachusetts minimum wage.
The economic environment in Massachusetts has changed considerably since Plainridge Park’s submission of the RFA-2 Application in 2013 and the subsequent submission of the initial workforce plan. The unemployment rate in Massachusetts has dropped from 6.1% to 2.7%, a total of 3.4 percentage points. As of December 2018, the unemployment rate for Plainridge Park Casino’s host community, Plainville, was 2.5%. In December 2018 the local surrounding area unemployment rates were: Wrentham 2.4%, Attleboro 2.9%, North Attleboro 2.6%, Mansfield 2.3%, and Foxborough 2.3%. The Massachusetts rate and all the local surrounding areas are below the national unemployment rate of 3.9%. The neighboring state of Rhode Island’s unemployment rate declined to 4.3% in June 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
View amended Plainridge Park Casino Workforce Plan here.
A Request for Public Comment: 2019 Community Mitigation Fund Applications
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission hereby requests public comment on grant applications from the 2019 Community Mitigation Fund.
Please email comments to mgccomments@state.ma.us with ‘2019 Community Mitigation Fund applications’ in the subject line. The Commission will review any comments received before making a determination on each application. Awards are expected to be decided by the Commission by June 30, 2019.
About the 2019 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.
To read the full guidelines for the 2019 Community Mitigation Fund, click here.
For more information on the 2019 Community Mitigation Fund, click here.
Transit Project of Regional Significance Grant Applications
- Cities of Everett and Somerville 2019 Transit Project of Regional Significance Application
- Pioneer Valley Transit Authority 2019 Transit Project of Regional Significance
Specific Impact Grant Applications
- City of Everett 2019 Specific Impact Grant Application
- City of Lynn 2019 Specific Impact Grant Application
- City of Springfield – Focus Springfield 2019 Specific Impact Grant Application
- City of Springfield – Springfield Police Department 2019 Specific Impact Grant Application
- Hampden County District Attorney’s Office 2019 Specific Impact Grant Application
- Hampden County Sheriff’s Office 2019 Specific Impact Grant Application
Transportation Planning Grant Applications
- Cities of Everett and Somerville 2019 Transportation Planning Grant Application
- Cities of Revere and Saugus 2019 Transportation Planning Grant Application
- City of Boston 2019 Transportation Planning Grant Application
- City of Lynn 2019 Transportation Planning Grant Application
- City of Medford 2019 Transportation Planning Grant Application
- Town of West Springfield 2019 Transportation Planning Grant Application
Workforce Development Pilot Program Grant Applications
- City of Boston 2019 Workforce Development Pilot Program Application – Boston Pipeline Initiative
- Holyoke Community College 2019 Workforce Development Pilot Program Application
- MassHire MetroNorth Employment Board 2019 Workforce Development Pilot Program Application
Non-Transportation Planning Grant Applications
- Cities of Chelsea and Everett 2019 Non-Transportation Planning Grant Application
- Cities of Chicopee and Springfield 2019 Non-Transportation Planning Grant Application
- City of Northampton 2019 Non-Transportation Planning Grant Application
- City of Revere 2019 Non-Transportation Planning Grant Application
- Town of Saugus 2019 Non-Transportation Planning Grant Application
- Towns of Foxborough, Plainville, and Wrentham 2019 Non-Transportation Planning Grant Application