One hundred and fourteen acres in Charlton are being ,marketed as a site for a casino. I've been to Foxwoods, and to Mohegan Sun, and they are both somewhat bigger than 114 acres. Their parking lots are bigger than 114 acres. Does this mean that a casino wouldn't be built on a parcel of land as small as 114 acres? No. It does mean that the owners will aggressively market it even more, and with the lands proximity to I-84, and the Mass Pike what it doesn't have in acreage it sure has in infrastructure.
I'd worry a bit about this one.
Charlton pitches for casino
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
By JOHN APPLETON
CHARLTON - The owner of 114 acres being marketed for a casino resort next to the Charlton eastbound service plaza on the Massachusetts Turnpike said he has an option to buy an additional 90 acres, which would make his parcel attractive for multiple hotels.
Vincent P. Iuliano also said that his property meets criteria advocated this month by the administration of Gov. Deval L. Patrick to locate casinos near other entertainment centers.
"I have had two inquiries for hotels, so this would be ancillary to the casino," said Iuliano, the owner of Jencent, LLC, which has been marketing its land adjacent to the turnpike to casino developers.
Iuliano said his property, bordered by the turnpike, the service plaza and a four-lane stretch of Route 20, has attracted interest from two casino resort developers: Penn National Gaming and the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida, which owns the Hard Rock entertainment brand.
"We have water and sewer and the right zoning already. It is shovel ready," Iuliano said.
"Our location offers the operator the lowest cost access to the highways. We are the most central to all of the arteries. We do not need to move mountains or build a (highway) fly-over," Iuliano said.
Iuliano announced his potential for nearly doubling the size of his property in a letter distributed to state legislators and the press.
Legislation to legalize casino gambling was approved by both houses of the Legislature last summer but died when Patrick refused to sign it because of his objections to provisions pushed by House Speaker Robert DeLeo to allow slot machines at race tracks.
Patrick and DeLeo have had recent talks aimed at coming to agreement on terms for casino legislation this year, and the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies held a hearing on casino legislation May 4.
Iuliano said his property's proximity to the intersection of the turnpike and Interstate 84 and to entertainment sites like the Brimfield Antiques Shows and Old Sturbridge Village make it "the most advantageous casino site in the state."
Another advantage of the Charlton site is its having a population of 7.4 million people living within a 55-mile radius, Iuliano said.
There are also proposals pending for building a resort casino in Holyoke and in Palmer.
The Charlton site was being marketed as a casino site in 2010 by Springfield lawyer Paul P. Nicolai, but Iuliano said Nicolai no longer has an option to purchase the original 114 acres of Jencent property.
Iuliano said his property has 0.8 miles of frontage along the Massachusetts Turnpike, just east of the service plaza. The 114 acres is divided by Route 20, with 46 acres to the north of Route 20 and 68 acres south of it.
It is four miles east of Exit 9 in Sturbridge, the location where Interstate 84 traffic from New York and Connecticut reach the turnpike.
This property at 130 Sturbridge Road was the location of American Reclamation Co., a hazardous waste recycling business that Iuliano operated for 35 years.
Iuliano said his property was used as a facility for crushing concrete, asphalt and brick and for processing oily soils and is ready for construction of a casino and hotel.
"It is shovel ready, zoning compliant and has successfully passed a 21E (environmental test) and has drinking water quality tested monitoring wells," Iuliano said.
Iuliano said the additional 90 acres he now has an option to buy is contiguous to the 68 acres he owns south of Route 20.
In July 2010, when the Legislature was considering whether to establish geographic zones for licensing casinos in Massachusetts, the Charlton Board of Selectmen went on record urging legislators not to establish zones because that system could mean that Central Massachusetts communities would have to compete with Boston.
©2011 The Republican
© 2011 MassLive.com All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Finally, An Open Door Policy At The Town Hall
Sometimes all the writing, whining, and annoying other people pays off.
Sometimes people will act in order to turn down the volume, it's akin to swatting a pesky fly. The action is usually done by someone that has had it, and just wants to handle the issue since no one else seems to give two hoots, or know how to.
Well, it took awhile, but Selectman Tom Creamer finally got some answers, and a solution. Why was Tom successful, and others seemed to founder about? The answer is simple: he actually picked up the phone and called someone that had a clue.
No one else did. No one else had a clue as to how to fix the problem.
Tom didn't either, but he found someone that did.
This is a good thing. I have another other issue I'd like looked into, and I'll share it in my next post.
I know Tom will jump all over this next one, too.
From the Worcester Telegram:
Public access granted for Town Hall doors
by Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
STURBRIDGE — The Town Hall’s front doors, which haven’t been open to the public since the newly renovated building was opened for business in the fall, are now open to all.
The state’s Architectural Access Board voted Monday night in favor of granting Sturbridge’s request to allow the public to use the doors, despite their lack of access for people with disabilities.
Thomas P. Hopkins, executive director of the access board, said the request was granted on the condition that the town submit a formal variance request in June for Town Hall and the Center Office Building across the street.
On May 16, Mr. Hopkins came to speak to selectmen on his own initiative, he said, because he was concerned about the misinformation the town had been spreading about the state board’s requirements. He said no one from Sturbridge ever reached out to the board with inquiries or to seek guidance specific to a handicap-access variance request. Nevertheless, the town had kept the doors shut for months on the belief their being open would be in violation of state requirements for access.
Yesterday, Mr. Hopkins said if the matter had been brought to the access board at the time the project was proposed, it would have been resolved a long time ago.
“Historical buildings, as well as buildings that are undergoing this kind of significant renovations have applied for and received variance relief,” Mr. Hopkins said yesterday from his Boston office. “The board grants variances for essentially two reasons — technological infeasibility or the cost to comply is excessive without substantial benefits for persons with disabilities.”
On behalf of the selectmen, Thomas R. Creamer, the board’s chairman, yesterday thanked the access board and, in particular, Mr. Hopkins, for working to resolve the matter.
“The progress achieved over the last two weeks rests solely with the AAB and Mr. Hopkins, whose willingness to proactively initiate outreach to the town speaks to their professionalism and commitment to problem-solving,” Mr. Creamer said. “They accomplished more in two weeks than we have been able to as a community to accomplish in nearly three years.”
Sometimes people will act in order to turn down the volume, it's akin to swatting a pesky fly. The action is usually done by someone that has had it, and just wants to handle the issue since no one else seems to give two hoots, or know how to.
Well, it took awhile, but Selectman Tom Creamer finally got some answers, and a solution. Why was Tom successful, and others seemed to founder about? The answer is simple: he actually picked up the phone and called someone that had a clue.
No one else did. No one else had a clue as to how to fix the problem.
Tom didn't either, but he found someone that did.
This is a good thing. I have another other issue I'd like looked into, and I'll share it in my next post.
I know Tom will jump all over this next one, too.
From the Worcester Telegram:
Public access granted for Town Hall doors
by Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
STURBRIDGE — The Town Hall’s front doors, which haven’t been open to the public since the newly renovated building was opened for business in the fall, are now open to all.
The state’s Architectural Access Board voted Monday night in favor of granting Sturbridge’s request to allow the public to use the doors, despite their lack of access for people with disabilities.
Thomas P. Hopkins, executive director of the access board, said the request was granted on the condition that the town submit a formal variance request in June for Town Hall and the Center Office Building across the street.
On May 16, Mr. Hopkins came to speak to selectmen on his own initiative, he said, because he was concerned about the misinformation the town had been spreading about the state board’s requirements. He said no one from Sturbridge ever reached out to the board with inquiries or to seek guidance specific to a handicap-access variance request. Nevertheless, the town had kept the doors shut for months on the belief their being open would be in violation of state requirements for access.
Yesterday, Mr. Hopkins said if the matter had been brought to the access board at the time the project was proposed, it would have been resolved a long time ago.
“Historical buildings, as well as buildings that are undergoing this kind of significant renovations have applied for and received variance relief,” Mr. Hopkins said yesterday from his Boston office. “The board grants variances for essentially two reasons — technological infeasibility or the cost to comply is excessive without substantial benefits for persons with disabilities.”
On behalf of the selectmen, Thomas R. Creamer, the board’s chairman, yesterday thanked the access board and, in particular, Mr. Hopkins, for working to resolve the matter.
“The progress achieved over the last two weeks rests solely with the AAB and Mr. Hopkins, whose willingness to proactively initiate outreach to the town speaks to their professionalism and commitment to problem-solving,” Mr. Creamer said. “They accomplished more in two weeks than we have been able to as a community to accomplish in nearly three years.”
Monday, May 23, 2011
Heritage Trail Construction To Start!
Heritage Trail Extension Construction to Start,
One of several National Trail Day® events in Area.
Southbridge: Saturday June 4th will see the start of construction of the last incomplete section of The Heritage Trail, a portion the regional Titanic Rail trail. This section will take the Heritage Trail from its current terminus which is point approx 2000 feet up from West Street School to Marjorie Lane, an additional distance of 1100 feet. When completed this trail will allow for trail users to traverse from West St School thru Westville Park and up to the Ed Calcutt Bridge a distance of 3.5 miles.
Funding for this $36,000.00 construction project is a partnership between the Recreation Trails Grant program of the Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), The U S Army Corps of Engineers, Westville Lake, The Clair Birtz Trust and the Town of Southbridge. Donations are also being received from Pioppi Construction, Bertin Engineering and East Acres Farm.
Design, engineering and permitting work has started and on Saturday, June 4th the initial phase of tree and brush removal will begin. It is projected the construction to take approx 4 months, with final loam and seeding and clean up to take place in late September. The completed trail will be 10’ wide with a firm hard pack fine gravel surface which is ADA compliant, and have grades of no greater than 8%. Drainage, 2’ wide grass shoulders and an informational kiosk located at Marjorie Lane will complete this work.
Saturday June 4th is the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day® (NTD) and this Southbridge trail project is one of several National Trails Day® events in the area. The Communities of Sturbridge and Brimfield as well as the Corps of Engineers will be holding morning work projects with Sturbridge and the Corps also conducting family friendly trail hike events in the afternoon. All work projects will go until 12 noon. Projects will take place rain or shine. Afternoon trail hikes will be cancelled in case of rain.
Southbridge volunteers are asked to meet at the Ranger Office of Westville Lake on 200 Marjorie Lane at 8:30 am. Please wear sturdy shoes, long sleeve shirt, long pants and heavy duty work gloves and bring along a water bottle.
In Brimfield volunteers are asked to meet at the newly constructed Grand Trunk Trail Main Street Trail head parking lot located at 120 Main Street. Work will consist of grading loam, raking and seeding the trail edges of this newly installed parking lot and trail section. Rakes and wheelbarrows are requested along with water bottles and work gloves. Registration starts at 8:30 am.
In Sturbridge volunteers are asked to meet at 10 Shattuck Rd, the “back gate” of the OSV access Rd at 8 am for registration, work here will involve spreading fine gravel to complete the trail surface of the universally accessible Arbutus Park trail. At 2 pm Sturbridge Tree Warden Tom Chamberland will conduct a hike along the Old Growth Trail, a short trail off of the Arbutus Park trail in the Leadmine Mt area talking about “Reading the Forested Landscape” a book by Tom Wessels.
At Westville Lake Park join Park Rangers at 2 pm in the large picnic shelter for a family scavenger hunt and interpretive hike of the Westville Lake community trail. Kids will be instructed on searching for “clues” of our native plants and animals and all can learn of the Corps stewardship of the Westville lake area and some of its history.
National Trails Day® is sponsored by the American Hiking Society with support from several national retailers of outdoor products. The slogan for NTD 2011, Made With All Natural Ingredients, is an open invitation to all Americans to get outside and connect with local hiking clubs, outdoor retailers, local parks and recreation departments or federal land managing agencies to experience everything the great outdoors has to offer. National corporate sponsors include Backpacker Magazine, Columbia, Eastern Mountain Sports, Fetzer®, Merrell, The North Face, and partners, REI, and American Park Network. For more information on NTD visit the American Hiking society web site: http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/
For more information on local NTD events, to preregister or to make a donation contact Park Ranger Tom Chamberland at 508-347-3705 or email Thomas.a.chamberland@usace.army.mil
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Time To Bring Back The Abandoned And Forgotten Pieces Of Our History
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| Do you know where this sign is in Stubridge? |
Have you ever seen an old, abandoned house on the side of the road all overgrown in weeds and neglected trees and shrubs. Sometimes the house is leaning to the side, or collapsed upon itself. I always wonder about the history of the building. Why was it abandoned? Who owns it now? What happened to the family? Abandoned property is always an issue in a community for reasons as benign as the property becoming and eyesore, to the property becoming a safety concern.
Today we have a number of houses in town that can be considered abandoned due to the economic trouble we have experienced in recent years. Modern houses. Their lawns mowed once or twice a year, and no buyer in sight. They, too, will be relegated to the overgrowth in a few years, and in a few more years there will be other couples riding around wondering about the neglected house in the woods that at one time was a fine lawn. This is history forming before our eyes.
We have a few of those properties here in town, but more on those at a properties in a later post. We also have the bits and pieces of the properties that are still very active, and alive, but a portion of them have been forgotten. The abandoned sections served their purpose, and now are relegated to the Land of the Forgotten. The sign in the above photo is one of those forgotten pieces of history here in town. The ironic thing about the sign, is it is a sign about history.
At one time, the little bits that we sprinkled around to teach, explain, and tell about ourselves were valuable, and then, they are gone for a variety of reasons.
Go figure.
I think the sign in the photo still serves a purpose, and if you learned something new when you read it then you need to contact the owner, and have them move it so all can read it.
Do you know where it is?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Is This 2011, Or 1900?
One violation can be seen as an oversight. Twice is ignorance. More than that is a flagrant violation of the laws written to protect our children. Now, when one discovers that the violations occurred not just at one store, but at five stores, it becomes obvious that the owners could care less about our children.
Too harsh? Just paperwork snafu's? Scheduling foul ups? After you read the article below, scan the summary of the Massachusetts Child Labor Laws posted under the article, and ask yourself, "Is my child affected where they work?". If you think they might be, give Martha a call. (617) 727-2200
Dunkin’ franchisees fined for child labor violations
Boston Business Journal - by Lisa van der Pool
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 12:09pm EDT
A pair of Dunkin' Donuts franchise owners have been cited and fined for violating state child labor laws at stores in four Massachusetts towns, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.
The two Dunkin’ franchisees are James Carafotes, 54, of Sutton, Mass. and his business partner Dinart Serpa, 52, of Beverly, Mass. The two business partners own five franchise locations in Fiskdale, Oxford, Sturbridge and Southbridge, the Attorney General's Office said.
Carafotes, Serpa and their five franchise locations have been fined a total of $7,700 for multiple violations of the state’s child labor laws, according to Coakley’s office.
During an investigation of the frachises in question, investigators discovered that they employed minors before the earliest permissible hour and after the latest permissible hour, according to Coakley’s office. The owners were also cited for employing minors without the required work permits and for failing to post all minors’ work schedules in the workplaces.
Prohibited Jobs (Hazardous Orders)
Persons under 14 may not work. There are a few exceptions to this such as working as news carriers, on farms, and in entertainment (with a special permit).
Persons under 16 may NOT:
- Operate, clean, or repair power-driven machinery (except office machines or machines for retail, cleanup, or kitchen work not otherwise prohibited
- Cook (except on electric or gas grills that do not have open flames)
- Operate fryolators, rotisseries, NEICO broilers, or pressure cookers
- Operate clean or repair power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers, processors, cutters, and mixers
- Perform any baking activities
- Operate microwave ovens (except to heat food in microwave ovens with a maximum capacity of 140 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Clean kitchen surfaces that are hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- Filter, transport, or dispose of cooking oil or grease hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- Work in freezers or meat coolers
- Work in a manufacturing facility or occupation (e.g., in a factory, as an assembler)
- Work on or use ladders, scaffolds, or their substitutes
- Work in garages, except dispensing gas and oil
- Work in brick or lumber yards
- Work in amusement places (e.g., pool or billiard room, or bowling alley)
- Work in barber shops
- Work in door-to-door street sales, including work as a sign waiver (except directly outside employer establishment)
- Work in construction, transportation, communications, or public utilities (except doing clerical work away from heavy machinery off the job site)
- Work in warehouses (except doing clerical work)
- Load or unload trucks, railroad cars, or conveyors
- Ride in or on a motor vehicle (except in passenger seat if wearing a seatbelt)
- Work doing laundry in a commercial laundry or dry cleaning establishment
- Work as a public messenger
- Work at processing operations (e.g., in meat or fish, poultry catching, cooping, cracking nuts, bulk or mass mailing)
- Work around boilers or in engine rooms
- Do industrial homework
- Work with dangerous electrical machinery or appliances
- Work in any of the occupations or tasks prohibited for persons under age 18
- Enage in work that is determined by the Massachusetts Attorney General to be dangerous to the health and well-being of minors
Persons under 18 may NOT:
- Drive a vehicle, forklift, or work assist vehicle (except golf carts in certain circumstances)
- Ride as a passenger on a forklift
- Operate, clean, or repair power-driven meat slicers, grinders, or choppers
- Operate, clean, or repair power-driven bakery machines (except for certain countertop models and pizza dough rollers)
- Work 30 feet or more above ground or water
- Handle, serve, or sell alcoholic beverages
- Use circular, chain, or band saws; guillotine shears; wood chippers; and abrasive cutting discs
- Use power-driven woodworking machines
- Use, service, drive, or work from hoisting machines
- Operate or load power-driven balers, compactors, or paper processing machines
- Use power-driven metal-forming, punching, or shearing machines
- Use buffing or polishing equipment
- Manufacture brick, tile, or kindred products
- Manufacture or store explosives
- Work in excavation, wrecking, demolition, or shipbreaking
- Work in forest fire fighting, forest fire prevention, timber track operations, and forestry service
- Work in logging, sawmilling, or mining
- Work slaughtering, packing, or processing meat and poultry
- Work in railway operations
- Work in roofing or on or about a roof
- Work in foundries or around blast furnaces
- Work manufacturing phosphorus or phosphorus matches
- Work where they are exposed to radioactive substances
- Work as a firefighter or engineer on a boat
- Oil or clean hazardous machinery in motion
- Work in any job requiring the possession or use of a firearm
Tasks not specifically permitted by the US DOL Secretary of Labor are prohibited.
This is a compilation of state and federal child labor laws. The most protective laws are presented here and apply to all employers of teens including parents who may employ their children. There are additional regulations in this area not summarized here and some exceptions for employers in agricultural industries.
This is a compilation of state and federal child labor laws. The most protective laws are presented here and apply to all employers of teens including parents who may employ their children. There are additional regulations in this area not summarized here and some exceptions for employers in agricultural industries.
Questions about the state child labor laws should be directed to the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, Fair Labor Division (617-727-3465).
Questions about federal child labor laws should be directed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (617-624-6700).
Questions about federal child labor laws should be directed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (617-624-6700).
Legal Work Hours for Teens in Massachusetts
Note: After 8:00 p.m., all minors must have the direct and immediate supervision of an adult supervisor who is located in the workplace and is reasonably accessible to the minor, unless the minor works at a kiosk, cart or stand in the common area of an enclosed shopping mall that has security from 8:00 p.m. until the mall is closed to the public.
14 and 15 Year Olds Work Hours
Only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year
Not during school hours
Only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the summer
(from July 1 through Labor Day)
Maximum Hours When School Is in Session
18 hours a week
3 hours a day on school days
8 hours a day Saturday, Sunday, holidays
6 days a week
Maximum Hours When School Is Not in Session
40 hours a week
8 hours a day
6 days a week
16 and 17 Year Olds Work Hours
Only between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. (on nights preceding a regularly scheduled school day) – if the establishment stops serving clients or customers at 10:00 p.m., the minor may be employed until 10:15 p.m.
Only between 6 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. (on nights not preceding a regularly scheduled school day).
Exception for restaurants and racetracks: only between 6 a.m. and 12:00 midnight (on nights not preceding a regularly scheduled school day).
Maximum Hours of Work – Whether or Not School is in Session
48 hours a week
9 hours a day
6 days a week
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