Selectmen: State Should Expect Casino Battle

When casino developer David Nunes submitted his proposal for the Crossroads Resort in Milford, residents and leaders from surrounding towns took the opportunity to begin planning their opposition.

Chairman of the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen Ben Palleiko said the board has already voiced its disapproval of the casino and will continue to do so as the state reviews plans across Massachusetts.

“This is not something that I think this region will accept and I think the state should expect a battle from the neighboring communities,” Palleiko said.

Opposition group Neighbor’s for a Casino Free Milford started a petition when Nunes first approached Milford with the proposal last year. In that time they’ve garnered more than 1,000 signatures.

“A Casino would inalterably change our communities for generations to come. No amount of mitigation would offset or protect us from drastic changes to our community and way of life. We oppose a casino in Milford,” the petition says.

Although Nunes didn't submit his proposal until the last minute, Palleiko said the announcement was not news to him. Now that the plan is official he said he expects conversations to escalate.

“Now is the time where we will get more active to show the state that we think this is a bad idea and it’s probably not in their interest to put it here,” he said.

As part of the process, Nunes will need to approach the towns surrounding Milford to discuss ways to mediate the additional costs, but the Hopkinton Selectmen have said in the past that they will not enter in to discussions with him until they need to.

"There is simply no way we should enter in to a conversation or negotiation with the developer," Palleiko said at a Selectmen meeting in November. "By entering in to any sort of negotiation with the developer it implies that you aren't fundamentally opposed to it."

Now that the proposal has been submitted, how do you feel about the prospects about a casino in Milford? Tell us in the comments.