Dec 09, 2020 HARTFORD — Connecticut’s two federally recognized Native American tribes are suspending their long-stalled plans for building a new casino in East Windsor — potentially paving the way for a broader. Dec 10, 2020 The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes are now dropping their plans temporarily to build an East Windsor casino, which is what Gov. Ned Lamont wanted as part of a broader solution on sports betting and gambling issues across the state.

East Windsor is one step closer to having a casino after the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes selected the town as the site of a possible third gaming facility in Connecticut. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes announced they're hitting pause on the proposed Tribal Winds Casino in East Windsor. In a joint statement released by the two tribes, leaders attributed.

Brian Hallenbeck After a Zoom meeting with state and local officials representing East Windsor, the chairmen of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes announced Wednesday they will continue delaying development of the state’s third casino in the north-central Connecticut town, a project the state authorized in 2017.

“The past seven months have presented our organizations with unprecedented challenges, and for the foreseeable future, we need to focus our efforts on the successful operation of our existing facilities,” the chairmen, whose tribes are the respective owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, said in a joint statement. “Every day brings new challenges and we’re doing our best to navigate these waters because we know how important our businesses are to the surrounding communities, our employees and the state as a whole.”

Rodney Butler is the Mashantucket chairman; James Gessner Jr. chairs the Mohegans.

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have struggled to withstand downturns in the casino business amid the coronavirus pandemic. Both shut down in mid-March, partially reopened June 1 and continue to operate at less than full capacity. Just last week, Foxwoods moved to temporarily close some hotel rooms and gaming areas and furlough 130 employees.

The tribes joined forces in 2015 to pursue a “satellite” casino as a buffer against the competitive impact of MGM Springfield, a $1 billion resort casino that opened in 2018 in Massachusetts. MGM Resorts International succeeded in delaying the East Windsor project, dubbed Tribal Winds, through a series of maneuvers and lawsuits, including an active suit that contends the U.S. Department of the Interior erred in approving amendments to the tribes’ gaming agreements with the state.

In their statement, the tribes said that while they couldn’t have foreseen the pandemic’s impact, “we still believe Tribal Winds is a viable project that will come to fruition once markets improve and we’ve taken concrete steps toward restoring normal business operations.”

Participants in Wednesday’s meeting included East Windsor’s first selectman, Jason Bowsza, state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, state Rep. Carol Hall, R-Enfield, and state Rep.-elect Jaime Foster, D-Ellington.

“I want to thank the chairmen for being forthright and honest at every step of this project,” Anwar said. “While the cause of this recent delay was beyond their control, their clear desire to move forward when conditions improve is evident.”

Hall said she has 'complete confidence' the tribes eventually will move forward with the East Windsor casino.

'We have been assured by the tribes that this is the number one project on their radar once they can get their home base operations in good stead,” she said.

It was not immediately clear what, if any, effect delaying the East Windsor project might have on gaming legislation during the upcoming session of the state legislature. The tribes have been in talks with Gov. Ned Lamont over their push to secure the legalization of sports betting and online gaming, and the governor this week indicated he wants to move forward with sports betting.

In the past, Lamont had urged the tribes to abandon the East Windsor project.

Leaky roofs first, then ‘mission critical’ improvements in Hamden schools

Meghan Friedmann HAMDEN — The planned work at two of the town’s elementary schools is a “critical” investment, according to Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler.

A year after the district scrapped the construction of a new West Woods Elementary school building, the town is moving forward with a plan to put nearly $1.6 million toward roof and window projects there and at Dunbar Hill Elementary School.

Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler said the projects are “critical to maintaining our community’s investment in our school facilities.”

The Legislative Council unanimously approved an ordinance reallocating funds from old capital accounts to cover the project costs, which officials said would be supplemented by an additional $3.2 million from the state.

That brings the total project value to about $4.8 million.

Council members lauded the proposal during a public discussion.

“It really does seem like you guys have done a lot of work to get the most out of our money as humanly possible,” council President Michael McGarry said at the meeting, which was held over Zoom.

After the council asked the district to find ways to be more fiscally responsible and to determine the schools’ highest priorities, the district put together a five-year capital plan that represents a “scaling back” of previous goals but outlines “mission critical” improvements, according to Julie Smith, Hamden Public Schools’ director of arts, culture and special projects.

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“Instead of stuff that are wants, we’re doing stuff that are needs,” Smith said of the plan, which the Board of Education approved last month. “I think [the board] had to make some really tough decisions and, you know, had to give up some projects that we would all have loved to have seen. But, again, if you can’t use the buildings, then there’s no point.”

The five-year plan has an expected expense of approximately $27.3 million, according to a document outlining it. The document, provided by the district, indicates Hamden would contribute some $18.4 million while receiving a bit less than $8.9 million from the state.

Chief Operating Officer Tom Ariola said unspent BOE bond proceeds will be reallocated to contribute to the town’s portion.

In paying for the roof and window projects at West Woods and Dunbar Hill, for example, the district intends to draw funds from 47 capital accounts, according to the ordinance, which indicates funds for those projects were authorized in 2015 and 2017.

Originally appropriated for investments ranging from door repairs to new tables to roof and floor work, officials say the statuses and fates of those projects vary.

Alternative to a new school

While the Legislative Council in 2016 approved nearly $24.2 million for a new West Woods building, it lost state reimbursement late last year after missing the deadline to start construction.

The delay came as the expected cost of the new building proved to be nearly $8 million higher than what originally had been allocated.

While the district looked into changing the construction plan to lower the cost, that iteration of the plan “didn’t accomplish what [the district] wanted,” according to Ariola, who said “they scaled it down so significantly” that the project wasn’t worth it.

The town also would still have had to allocate additional funds for the scaled-down version of the project, and the state’s deadline came and went before it did so.

While the decision to nix the project was made last year, the Legislative Council officially deauthorized the $24.2 million appropriation this week, an action Smith called a matter of “housekeeping.”

With a new school out of the picture, a new roof will make a major difference in addressing water intrusion at West Woods,according to Smith, who added that the current roof dates back to 1973.

Roof and window work at West Woods forms part of the BOE’s five-year plan, she said, noting that repairs of the facility’s plumbing system, conducted this year, already have alleviated water intrusion in the bathrooms.

“With a new roof and new windows the school should be in fantastic shape,” Smith said.

The district also has received around $1.1 million in state Alliance Grant funding that it hopes to use to replaceWest Woods’ HVAC system, according to Ariola.

Two schools to benefit

The Legislative Council in 2019 rejected a request to allocate $17.6 million for like-new renovations and a new science and technology wing at Dunbar Hills Elementary.

Major construction projects at other schools did win funds. Those were part of the district’s Reimagine, Restructure, Results Initiative, known as 3R, which is meant to address decreasing state education funding, declining enrollment and racial imbalance in Hamden schools.

At the same time, the district has had to “scale down” its plans for West Woods and Dunbar Hill, said BOE member Walter Morton IV.

“We realized that there’s not the financial ability to bond out and do larger project at West Woods and Dunbar,” he said.

But Morton, who also is chairman the board’s finance committee, was happy the town will undertake the roof and window projects at the facilities.

“I’m satisfied,” he said. “In light of the town’s finances, it was looking pretty questionable whether we could get something done.”

Ariola aims to apply for the $2.7 million state reimbursement the projects by early January and begin construction over the summer, he said.

“We have to at least shoot for that right now.”

The town’s contribution

To fund the town’s $1.6 million contribution to the roof and window work,Hamden will not have to borrow any additional funds, Ariola said.

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Instead, the town will draw unspent bond proceeds from nearly 50 BOE accounts.

Some of the projects for which those accounts were allocated will still be included in the five-year capital plan, while others no longer are priorities, according to Ariola.

Work at Church Street Elementary School and Shepherd Glen Elementary School, for example, may no longer be necessary with both facilities slated to close under the 3R plan, he said.

Other accounts were for projects that would have been over budget and thus needed reassessment, according to Ariola.

Officials did not discount the possibility of revisiting some projects down the road.

“It’s really just a plan - some broad idea of where you want go,” Morton said of the five-year capital plan. “It certainly can be changed based on the needs of a situation.”

After the allocation of the $1.6 million, the BOE would have around $1.3 million left in unspent bond funds, Ariola said, adding that he hopes the town will not have to go out for any additional bonding for the first two years of the capital plan.

From dirt lot to outdoor destination, Newtown leaders looking to transform downtown Sandy Hook lot

Rob Ryser NEWTOWN - Leaders have secured a $128,000 state grant to help convert a dirt lot into a destination for outdoor events in downtown Sandy Hook and encourage the crowds to return once the pandemic is conquered.

The grant, secured by the Newtown Economic Development Commission, fits into a larger partnership with a business group to transform a former 1-acre garage lot near the center of Sandy Hook Village into a trailhead and a park with a pavilion for special events.

“There has been a lot of good activity down there, and this will help to increase it,” said Christal Preszler, Newtown’s deputy director for economic and community development. “Post-COVID, this is going to be great.”

The state money, part of $11 million in capital improvement grants awarded in November by Gov. Ned Lamont to help Connecticut rebound from coronavirus shutdowns, follows a March offer by Newtown to lease the property for 99 years at a nominal fee to the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity, or SHOP.

SHOP, in turn, plans to raise $250,000 to build the pavilion.

“This grant gives us a good starting point and puts us in a good position to raise donations,” said Michael Burton, a developer and the president of SHOP. “This is great news for Sandy Hook.”

The property at 7 Glen Road would also hook into the Heritage Trail in Sandy Hook, Preszler said.

The project, known as Heritage Park, is the latest development for Sandy Hook’s business district, just west of the new Sandy Hook School.

Work is underway on blueprints for a multimillion-dollar memorial to the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. The 5-acre memorial site, off Riverside Drive, could go to voters for approval as soon as April.

In addition, construction is underway on Burton’s 74-apartment complex on Washington Avenue, within walking distance to downtown Sandy Hook. The complex could begin renting as soon as February, he said.

EAST WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) — Leaders of Connecticut’s two federally recognized Native American tribes announced Wednesday they’ve decided to temporarily set aside plans to open the long-delayed, jointly-owned Tribal Winds casino in East Windsor, noting a need to focus on their existing casinos that have each been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a joint statement, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribe said they need to focus their efforts “for the foreseeable future” on Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, which have faced “unprecedented challenges” over the past seven months. Both casinos were shuttered for nearly three months earlier this year and are now operating at 25% capacity to prevent spread of COVID-19.

“Every day brings new challenges and we’re doing our best to navigate these waters because we know how important our businesses are to the surrounding communities, our employees and the state as a whole,” they wrote. “The best thing we can do right now for each of those stakeholders is to focus foremost on the success of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.”

East Windsor Casino Site

Earlier this week, Foxwoods announced that it will furlough less than 100 employees, reduce gambling options and hotel capacity as the ill effects of the pandemic continue. Both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are located in southeastern Connecticut.

A spokesman said the tribal leaders recently briefed local and state officials about their planned delay of the $300 million East Windsor casino, which has faced numerous hurdles, including delays in federal approvals and legal challenges from rival MGM Resorts, which opened a casino in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2018 and has sought to block the tribes’ project since 2015.

The tribal leaders said they’re not giving up on the project. In 2019, they told state lawmakers they had already invested $16 million in the planned gambling and entertainment complex, which would be located on the site of a former movie theater multiplex along Interstate 91 near the Connecticut-Massachusetts border. It was originally projected to generate 5,000 jobs, including construction jobs.

“We’ve been through so many ups and downs when it comes to the Tribal Winds project. There have been many moments where it was clear the easiest path would be to just walk away,” they said in the joint statement. “And while there’s no way we could have accounted for this latest delay, we still believe Tribal Winds is a viable project that will come to fruition once markets improve and we’ve taken concrete steps toward restoring normal business operations.”

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Both tribes are hoping the General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont finally enact legislation allowing them to offer sports and internet betting. State lawmakers are scheduled to convene on Jan. 6 for the new legislative session. Foxwoods this week announced plans to partner with sports betting operator DraftKings, in anticipation of Connecticut legalizing sports betting.