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If the corruption angle won't stick, maybe the environment stuff can block the Everett casino, Boston reasons
By adamg on Wed, 09/30/2015 - 7:43am
The Globe reports the city of Boston has filed a second lawsuit to try to block the Wynn casino - this time focusing on environmental and Sullivan Square traffic concerns, rather than the alleged corruption angle that was getting laughed out of court.
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Comments
environmental cleanup?
I thought that Wynn doing significant environmental remediation was part of the plan. (for example, Wynn Resorts discussing pollution cleanup at Everett casino site). It's hard to imagine much that could be done on that site short of storing nuclear waste that would make it anything but better.
mayah mahhhty is claiming
mayah mahhhty is claiming that all the traffic congestion in sully square will cause more pollution.
mayah mahhhty needs to give this fight up. he picked the wrong horse and lost, and now i wasting tax dollars on foolish legal actions.
Extremely responsive - so far
Of course we need to keep our eye on them to make sure that they will do what they say (unlike the Big Dig gang throwing mandated transit provisions under the bus), but they have been working with local and regional environmental groups for more than a year to address concerns and offer solutions.
The traffic issue is part of that, and they are working to improve the non-car infrastructure of the area (and not just for the Casino, either).
They have been building a lot of good will to date - you know those invasive water chestnuts in the Mystic? They funded a near-complete removal over the summer. Things like that give them some credibility.
"responsive"
The clean-up of the site is the big ticket enviro item (and necessary to build the casino) but the rest of their actions have been hand-outs to buy-off community support. The groups receiving the hand-outs are deserving and they'll do good work with the $$ but relative to the money at stake for Wynn, this is chicken-feed. He could easily triple the budgets of the organizations involved for the next ten years and not notice the hit.
The traffic issue is VERY large and as Fred Salvucci pointed out, it really should be addressed before making it worse. Wynn saying he'll pay for a bridge over the Mystic from the new Assembly T stop really doesn't cut it. Not that Wynn is on the hook for fixing up what pols have ignored for so long, but the pols shouldn't be allowing this to go forward until they fix the mess they've allowed to develop in the area. Route 16 is a mess now and will be a nightmare in the future. Sullivan Square is a mess now and will be a complete abortion once Wynn opens -- provided the State doesn't do something first.
Trinkets are Nice
Don't worry that the environmental orgs are being overly wooed. See also: transit parts of the big dig.
The goodies are nice, but we will be watching them. I think the phrase is "Trust, but Verify".
Trust but...
...sit in traffic (or bike/walk next to it and breathe it in deep).
Well
Get them to throw money into transit and shuttles then.
Suing and fit throwing won't even change the existing mess (which Marty could not have cared less about before), let alone any additional mess.
grasp those straws, mahty.
grasp those straws, mahty.
Time to go to the negotiating table
Boston has been fighting to get something out of the casino and losing every time. It's time to stop suing and start negotiating. Sure the city is in a weaker position than if they had actually won any of the suits, but at this point a negotiated deal is likely to be the most profitable arrangement that Boston is going to get.
This is just getting
This is just getting embarrassing.
The Grand Prix knows the answer
Just hire Marty's buddies and problem solved.
There you go again....
....speaking truth.
Walsh can't claim to care
Walsh can't claim to care about the environment in this instance and then invite an event that is nothing but cars driving around in circles for hours wasting who knows how many thousands of gallons of gas.
Sullivan Square Traffic
So this lawsuit states that Wynn is ignoring the increased congestion at Sullivan Square. If I recall correctly, Wynn offered to pay $1 million toward a Sullivan Square redesign and Mayor Walsh didn't even show up to the meeting they had scheduled about it. Walsh is acting like a petulant baby in this whole ordeal.
How far do you think $1 million...
... will go in beginning to resolve the increased problems that will be created?
A million dollars obviously
A million dollars obviously isn't going to solve the problem, but Wynn wasn't obligated to offer anything at all. If Marty had bothered to show up to that meeting and engaged in a dialog instead of just standing Wynn up maybe they could have come to a resolution that's mutually beneficial. Walsh's whole approach to this situation has been extremely unprofessional and counterproductive.
Walsh's whole approach ....
... to almost everything.... ditto. Major disappointment.
$1 Million toward redesign is a start
That would have opened the door for further outpourings of cash had Marty bothered to turn up. They are very amenable to such negotiations.
They love to throw money around because they have it, and because they are total glory hounds when it comes to SEE WHAT GREAT GUYS WE ARE? projects. They know their business and know what is good for their business. This sort of thing is good for their business.
Oh Dear Lord
Not this again? Doesn't the Mayor have better things to do? How about saving money such as making the city council a 4 year term and generate money other ways! Give up this Casino fight and give up the Olympics because you are starting to sound like a crybaby!!!!!!
Everett is a sovereign city
Everett is a sovereign city what it or its citizens or business do if it is not against Mass law is none of the City of Boston's business.
Harrumph
So it would be OK by you if Boston, equally sovereign, put up a 10-foot high way blocking access to Sullivan Square from Everett?
Sort of like...
... those tiny little Brookline parklets that were created in order to block traffic from entering Brookline from Boston?