Two of the water commissioners unanimously approved the agreement.
PALMER - The Palmer Water District No.1 Board of Water Commissioners finalized its agreement with Mohegan Sun on Wednesday after a two hour meeting to go over the last remaining details.
Because the water district is separate from town government, it negotiated its own pact with the Connecticut-based casino operator, which wants to build a nearly $1 billion resort casino off Thorndike Street (Route 32), across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit. Mohegan is competing with two other casino companies, Hard Rock in West Springfield and MGM Resorts International in Springfield, for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license.
The commission, which met in executive session for negotiations, unanimously approved the pact, but the district's lawyer, Henry Rigali, said that due to a confidentiality agreement, he could not provide its content, and deferred to Mohegan for comment.
Paul I. Brody, Mohegan's representative on the Palmer project, did not return a call for comment on Wednesday evening.
Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said the district had been discussing the proposed interconnection with Monson Water and Sewer Department, to create a back-up water source for the proposed casino, among other issues.
In addition to Rigali, commissioners Lawrence Jasak and Joseph Mastalerz attended, as well as Palmer Water Superintendent James M. Ammann, Assistant Water Superintendent David Majka and Omer Dumais, of Tighe & Bond, an engineering firm.
Commission Chairman Charles "Mike" Callahan III has recused himself from casino-related discussions due to personal reasons. He and some of his family members are listed as "qualifiers" with the MGM project, meaning they have an interest in a project, whether as an investor or board member.
Rigali said Wednesday's meeting caps a process that began two years ago between the district and Mohegan.
"A lot of people have been working very hard on this. I think it's an excellent agreement for both the district and Mohegan," Rigali said.
The host community agreement for the town is expected to be completed on Wednesday; the Town Council has a tentative meeting scheduled for Sept. 3 to approve it and set a referendum date so the townspeople can have their say.
The host community agreement spells out mitigation for traffic and infrastructure, among other areas that would be affected by the building of a resort casino.