Selectmen are arranging a meeting to discuss their strategy as a "surrounding community" to the Mohegan Sun casino project in Palmer.
MONSON - Saying "we're running out of time," Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers informed selectmen at their Tuesday meeting that the town has not received any correspondence from Mohegan Sun regarding its status as a surrounding community, even though Mohegan is proposing to build a casino next door in Palmer.
Neggers noted that another neighboring town, Ware, already received correspondence from the Connecticut casino operator.
Selectmen acknowledged that the clock is ticking, and voted unanimously to have the town lawyer send a letter to Mohegan so the town can be designated as a surrounding community, which would allow negotiations to begin regarding impacts to roads and other infrastructure.
They also requested a meeting with lawyer Jeffrey Fialky, of the firm Bacon & Wilson, whom they described as a "casino expert." The Monson Water and Sewer Commissioners will be invited to the meeting, as the commission has been involved in a separate agreement with the Palmer Water District No. 1 regarding an interconnection between the two towns. That interconnection would allow Mohegan to use Monson's water as a back-up resource for its project.
Neggers noted that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which will award the lone Western Massachusetts casino license, is urging applicants and communities to engage in a "dialogue as soon as it is practical" about the positive and negative impacts involving the opening of a casino.
Selectmen and Neggers discussed the need for a consultant, to help assess the effects from a casino, but expressed concerns about who would pay for it in the end.
"We have no data," Neggers said.
"Department heads don't have the expertise to do" the analysis, she added.
Selectmen Chairman Edward A. Maia said that the board needs to find out if Mohegan will pay for a consultant.
Selectman Edward S. Harrison asked about reaching out to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for guidance.
Maia said that he could guarantee that town officials' views on casino-related impacts will be very different from Mohegan's views. Maia said it also makes him nervous that the host community agreement between Mohegan and Palmer has taken longer than the agreements inked with casino competitors MGM Resorts in Springfield and Hard Rock in West Springfield.
Agreements with surrounding communities also need to be approved before the Gaming Commission grants a license.
Neggers noted that $50,000 has been earmarked from the $400,000 casino license application fee to the state for host and surrounding communities, but selectmen noted that money will not go very far.
"In a game of chance, I don't think the odds are in our favor here," Neggers said.