800 Parking Spaces, and Richard F. Caraviello was the CHAIR October 18, 2017- 3 days after the Medford Access Channel opened?
ALLEGATIONS...
HOW CAN CARAVIELLO REPRESENT MEDFORD AND MEDFORD GET SCREWED OUT OF ALL THAT PARKING?
ALLEGATIONS...
HOW CAN CARAVIELLO REPRESENT MEDFORD AND MEDFORD GET SCREWED OUT OF ALL THAT PARKING?
Call to Order The Chair Richard Carviello called the meeting to order and welcomed the members. He then asked members to introduce themselves for the benefit of any new member. The Chair then asked members to approve the minutes from the November 2016 meeting.
By motion made by Mr. DePriest and duly seconded by Ms. Galazica, the members unanimously approved the minutes.Mr. Ziemba then discussed the role of the Local Community Mitigation Advisory Committees. He mentioned that the LCMAC is the closest levelof advisory committeesto the communities. He discussed the broad rangeof issues that are covered. Mr. Ziemba then highlighted the due date for the Community Mitigation Fund of February 1, 2018 and the multi-tiered process that goes into developing the Guidelines for the fund.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
By motion made by Mr. DePriest and duly seconded by Ms. Galazica, the members unanimously approved the minutes.Mr. Ziemba then discussed the role of the Local Community Mitigation Advisory Committees. He mentioned that the LCMAC is the closest levelof advisory committeesto the communities. He discussed the broad rangeof issues that are covered. Mr. Ziemba then highlighted the due date for the Community Mitigation Fund of February 1, 2018 and the multi-tiered process that goes into developing the Guidelines for the fund.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
Of particular note was the draft being distributed to the Commission on October 26 at the Commission meeting. He noted that the Commission valued input from the communities and the Guidelines reflected that input. He stated that the theoryisthat proper planning now is imperative to get ready for any impacts that may occur when the casinos are operational.Mr. Bourassa noted that the role of this groupwas to assist in developing policy and make recommendations regarding policy.Mr. Ziemba acknowledged that was the role of this committee.Mr. Ziemba then discussed the upcoming election for the chair and the representative from this committee to jointhe Subcommittee on Community mitigation. He noted that the current chair, Richard Caraviello,and Ron Hogan, the current representative on the Subcommittee,have both expressed their interest in continuing their representation on these committees.He mentioned that anyone interested in either of these positions can contact him or Mary Thurlow in the Ombudsman’s office.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
2Mr. Ziemba then turned the meeting to Joe Delaney who gave a presentation on construction updates for the MGM Springfield and WynnBoston Harbor. Mr. Delaney noted that construction is going along rapidly and even though the slides areonly a few weeks old there has been significant construction progress.ChairCarviello questioned how the I-91 construction was moving along. Mr. Delaney noted that completion was ahead of schedule and the ramps will be open prior to the opening. He also noted the Wynn has begun the dredging work.Chief Sheehan asked if the railroad tracks were going away.Mr. Ziemba noted that the tracks were staying, that key milestones have been reached and the June 2019 date is on target for the casino.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
Mr. Ziemba then turned the meeting to the policyquestions. Mr. Ziemba noted that there arelingering issues that may need to be addressed either in these guidelines or in a future year. One such issue is the splitting up of regions. Does it make sense for the revenue to stay in the region?He noted that there were concerns over Region C,as that region’s casino development has been stalled and that region is not under license by the state of Massachusetts. Under the Compact there are no surrounding community mitigation agreementsrequired. The Tribal casino is obligated topay17% in taxes;and 6.5%of that would go into the mitigation fund. The Category 2 slots casino does not pay into the fund. Their taxesgo into local aid and the Race Horse Development Fund.Mr. Ziemba stated that the next area of concern is the question aboutwhether or not the CMF should shift to funding transportation construction costs instead of just the design and planningcosts.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
If the shift gets made, how does the commission make sure that the funds are being used correctly?Currently,there are limited dollars during the construction period of the casino. No new funds will be made available until the casinos are operational. There is significant time between now and then. It is likely the funding should continue to be on the conservative side.
There isapproximately$10M left until the first Category 1 casino is opened.
Chair Caraviello noted that the funding could be split now, $5M for MGM until it opens and $5M until Wynn Boston Harbor opens. The Chair noted that there will be a better feel towards impacts once the MGM Springfield is open.Mr. Ziemba mentionedthat Wynn is roughly double the size of MGM.
He questioned whether funds should be applied evenly. Mr. Ziemba noted the mitigation needs will be easier to ascertain once the casinos are operational.The discussion then moved to Question 11 concerning the workforce development programs. Mr. Hogan mentioned using the workforce programs to leveragesupplemental fundingforincreased literacyin the region.Mr. Ziemba questioned whether the Commission should expand work force development.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
He noted that the proposed grant amount was doubledfor Western Massachusetts. Ms. Galazicamentioned that the Commission should allocate funds to the type of projectsthatwarrant more funding. She noted that transportation projectsseem to skyrocket in price.Mr. Ziemba then called attention to Question 2 noting that last year’s mitigation fund limited the transportation planning grants to $150,000. He stated thateven for planning activities the communities were finding that amount was not enough. He asked,in the policy recommendations,should we propose upping the amount this year?Mr. Bourassa asked when Wynn Boston Harbor isopening.Mr. Ziemba noted that the date is June 24, 2019at 8 p.m., and that the Category 1 casino contributes6.5%. By February2020,the fund would have taxes from the Wynn facility.Mr. Bourassa questioned whether ifthe money is all spent, there would be no funding in the interim.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
Mr. Ziemba then turned the meeting to the policyquestions. Mr. Ziemba noted that there arelingering issues that may need to be addressed either in these guidelines or in a future year. One such issue is the splitting up of regions. Does it make sense for the revenue to stay in the region?He noted that there were concerns over Region C,as that region’s casino development has been stalled and that region is not under license by the state of Massachusetts. Under the Compact there are no surrounding community mitigation agreementsrequired. The Tribal casino is obligated topay17% in taxes;and 6.5%of that would go into the mitigation fund. The Category 2 slots casino does not pay into the fund. Their taxesgo into local aid and the Race Horse Development Fund.Mr. Ziemba stated that the next area of concern is the question aboutwhether or not the CMF should shift to funding transportation construction costs instead of just the design and planningcosts.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
If the shift gets made, how does the commission make sure that the funds are being used correctly?Currently,there are limited dollars during the construction period of the casino. No new funds will be made available until the casinos are operational. There is significant time between now and then. It is likely the funding should continue to be on the conservative side.
There isapproximately$10M left until the first Category 1 casino is opened.
Chair Caraviello noted that the funding could be split now, $5M for MGM until it opens and $5M until Wynn Boston Harbor opens. The Chair noted that there will be a better feel towards impacts once the MGM Springfield is open.Mr. Ziemba mentionedthat Wynn is roughly double the size of MGM.
He questioned whether funds should be applied evenly. Mr. Ziemba noted the mitigation needs will be easier to ascertain once the casinos are operational.The discussion then moved to Question 11 concerning the workforce development programs. Mr. Hogan mentioned using the workforce programs to leveragesupplemental fundingforincreased literacyin the region.Mr. Ziemba questioned whether the Commission should expand work force development.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
He noted that the proposed grant amount was doubledfor Western Massachusetts. Ms. Galazicamentioned that the Commission should allocate funds to the type of projectsthatwarrant more funding. She noted that transportation projectsseem to skyrocket in price.Mr. Ziemba then called attention to Question 2 noting that last year’s mitigation fund limited the transportation planning grants to $150,000. He stated thateven for planning activities the communities were finding that amount was not enough. He asked,in the policy recommendations,should we propose upping the amount this year?Mr. Bourassa asked when Wynn Boston Harbor isopening.Mr. Ziemba noted that the date is June 24, 2019at 8 p.m., and that the Category 1 casino contributes6.5%. By February2020,the fund would have taxes from the Wynn facility.Mr. Bourassa questioned whether ifthe money is all spent, there would be no funding in the interim.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
3Mr. Ziemba indicated that communities would have their reservesif they had not already allocated themand that some communities have the benefit of host and surrounding communityagreements.Mr. Ziemba continued the discussion concerning the policy questions with Question 3. As in prior years there is no scoring system due to the widely different needs of the communities. The guidelines showed how the staff evaluated factors under specific criteria. No additional comments were received.Question
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
4. Outside of reserves, there has beenno money for general planning. Should we authorizegeneralplanningfunding. Theremight beaneed for economic developmentplanning.Mr. DePriest: Would it be in-kind or both?Mr. Ziemba noted thatan in-kind match couldcontinue active involvement with communities that want funding for economic development concerns.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
Mr. Ziemba mentioned that Question 5 is moot as the Lower Mystic Working Group report will not be available until too near the deadline of the CMF. Further,the hard constructionfor proposed transportation projectswould not happen for many years.Mr. Bourassa noted that the final recommendationsof the working Group will be outby next year. The report will include high level conceptual transit improvements. These items are several years away.Mr. Ziemba noted that there need to be realistic applications by communitieswhile considering other projects;Mr. Bourassa asked if there had been additional bus routes; mode share change and lowcost shuttlesas part of the transportation mitigation. Mr. Ziemba mentioned that Commission approved a study for a bus lane in Everett.Mr. Ziemba continued the discussion focusing on Question
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
6: Grantsto non-governmental entitiessuch as a non-profit withina community. Communities can apply for funding for such organizations but need to follow the anti-aid provisions of theMassachusettsConstitution.Mr. Ziemba explained that grants must be for a public purpose. Applicantswhich met this requirementof a public purposewere requiredlast year to provide match/significant matchfrom either thecommunity or license or both.Question 7was discussedamong the committee. It was noted that applicants can ask for grants going forwardfor more than one year. However,there are noguarantees. Mr. Bourassa askedhow the funding was distributed to the communities and Mr. Ziemba noted that the funds are given out in increments of 25%, 50% and 25%.Mr. Ziemba then directed the committee’s attention to discuss Question 9. Should the Commission require a dollar for dollar match? Mr. Ziemba noted that potentiallythere should be a dollar for dollarmatch for grants involvingfor private entitiesto ensure the community is involved.The committee then focused on Question 10: Using the CMF for administering CMF grants is not necessary. Mr. Depriestasked if the grants were taking into account the in-kind match.Mr. Ziemba noted Question 12andasked whether the current level of funding is enough. It was noted that a lotof businessesarehurting nowto fill the lower level positions.Commissioner Stebbins stated that there is a concernwhether there are enoughpeople for the back fill of jobs.The currentHiSetandABE classes are seen as a way to bolster effortsto
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
4train the people for positions. Mr. DePriest mentioned that he was in favor of raising the workforce funding. Mr. Ziemba cautioned that it would be easy tospend the entire fundon workforce training.He talked about the gaming economic fund,which is allocated through appropriation, and a plan to present a white paper on that. The Gaming Economic Development Fund does not have any funding until the casinos are running. We are asking howthe state should spend those dollars.Mr. Hoganasked how theCommission plans to ensure they are spent appropriately.Mr. Ziemba noted that there are deliverable metricswithin the applications and grants. Mr. Ziemba promised to provide such metrics to the Committee. The Commission staff will review them every year; the pilots have to come back every yearand reapply tothe Commission. Further there is a certification required that funding provided is for a new program, not just payments for already planned programs.Mr. Hoganacknowledged that there was stringent follow-up.Mr. Ziemba turned to Question 12, allocation by region: What happens if oneregion needs more than anotherregion?
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
The Commission must develop a system for allocation perhaps returning unallocated funds back to the Mitigation fund. This issuewill require concrete thinkingin the future as there is notenoughspecificity now. There was a general discussion about whether theCommission would contemplatesplitting the fund now. Each region is concerned about the other region using all of the funding. Mr. Delaney noted that somefunding is not eligibleand that during construction there is a subjective need.An additional concern is the advantage some communities may have if they have staff dedicated to grant writing.Mr. Bourassa notedyou never know what’s going to come up based on needs.The Chair noted that there will always be a need.The discussion continued concerning the split based on revenue for the region and the concern raised in Region B that it couldbe second in line to eastern Massachusetts. Mr. Bourassa noted that there may be a large project that could leverage federal or state funding and thenthe expenditures may need to be made in one lone large chunk vs. small multi-year grant.Mr. Ziemba continued the discussion starting with Question 1of the new policy issues. The first suchpolicyissue isjoint applications. The Revere/Saugus Joint application was mentioned as an example of communities workingtogether. Aproblem arose as to whose reserves are going to coverthe requirement thatreserves must be spent first.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
Both communities are considered responsible partiesunder the grant rules.Question 2: Funding to pay for a portion of construction. As discussed earlier, perhaps notyet.Question 3: Mr. Ziemba noted the following thoughts for the members to consider: How should the Commission approach future issues such as many newfamilies movinginto the community?How does the influx of children impact school systems. Heused Connecticut as an example. Whathappensas the areaaround casinosbecomes more gentrified?What do you doif there are housing issues. How should be we go about researchingbest practices in the development of policies.He mentioned Question 4and the limitof one Specific Impact Grant per communityQuestion 6. He mentioned that grants must have a nexus to casino. The fund is not for general municipal improvements. The Commission can only give grantsrelated to development of the gaming facility.
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
5The Chairnoted that at times people hear casino and consider them asATM machines. The grants must get more specific.Mr. Ziemba noted that the Commission would like the grants to have added general benefitto the communitiesbut they must be for casino related purposes. The Chair made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 3:30, upon motion duly seconded, it was unanimously voted to adjourn./s/ Mary S. Thurlow Mary S. Thurlow, SecretaryList of Documents and Other Items Used1.Notice of Meeting and Agenda2.Minutes from the November 15, 2016 meeting
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
3.Charts of Gaming Policy Advisory Committees4.Membership of Gaming Policy Advisory Committees5.M.G.L. c. 23K Section 686.MGM Springfield and Wynn Boston Harbor Construction Update7.Review of Policy Questionsdiscussed by the Local Community Mitigation Advisory Committees and the Subcommittee on Community Mitigation Relative to the 2018 Community Mitigation Fund Guidelines8.2017 Community Mitigation Guidelines
700 + 100 Parking Spaces - What the Hell Does Medford Get Out of it With Caraviello involved?
Councilor Richard F. Caraviello is a member of the local community mitigation advisory committee.
3.Charts of Gaming Policy Advisory Committees4.Membership of Gaming Policy Advisory Committees5.M.G.L. c. 23K Section 686.MGM Springfield and Wynn Boston Harbor Construction Update7.Review of Policy Questionsdiscussed by the Local Community Mitigation Advisory Committees and the Subcommittee on Community Mitigation Relative to the 2018 Community Mitigation Fund Guidelines8.2017 Community Mitigation Guidelines
