Casino in Milford?
David H. Nunes, a Colorado real estate developer who has worked with Donald Trump and the Wampanoag Indian tribe, said yesterday he is considering building a casino in town - of course that will only be possible after Massachusetts lawmakers legalize casinos. Nunes called his plan "very, very, very, very" preliminary however he is "looking around" town for up to 500 acres of land for a Foxwoods-type destination, which he discussed with the town selectmen in executive session last month. This past February Nunes also spoke with the town officials of Johnston, RI pitching a casino project that would included a 27-hole golf course and an upscale hotel, so it would seem he believes New England could be the next great gambling hotbed.
It is projected a casino could generate an estimated $50 million a year for the town in taxes and payments in lieu of just taxes. This would be a great boost to the town and the surrounding communities but it would come at some cost. First a project like this would create jobs - some temporary like hotel construction but others would remain once the casino opens. However with all those jobs comes traffic, energy consumption, use of town services, housing growth, overcrowding in the schools and many more people in and around our still small town.
Overall I am in favor of casino's in Massachusetts and I think putting one near the intersection of the Mass Pike and Route 495 is an ideal location and if the state, town and the developer can lay the ground work properly, it wouldn't be such a bad bet.
Labels: Local, Milford
Inspection fee for apartments
As reported yesterday by the
Milford Daily News, Landlord Gail Mazzarelli objected to the $50-per-unit fee for occupancy inspections. Mazzarelli publicly stated that "If I was the only one benefiting from this service, I can justify the fee for the landlords, but the whole community will benefit from it." While in principle I agree, first we should outline why this is necessary.
Milford has seen an increase of overpopulation with regards to in-town apartments. Since apartments are regulated by the
Board of Health, it has been tapped to find a way to resolve the issue. Since the apartment owners themselves are unable to self regulate themselves, the town must intervene. The outcome will positively affect the town however I do not agree that the average single family homeowner should pay for it.
Should we institute some profit sharing from the landlords in town to share with the town for park beautification? I'm sure most landlords wouldn't want additional real estate taxes for general town betterment.
Should the landlords band together, create their own advisory board, pay dues [say $50 per unit] and self regulate? Since they are unable to regulate their own properties properly, maybe they need to hire a firm to do that [oh wait that's the town is doing].
Should lawn cutting companies give unit owners a discount because this could be seen as making the community a better place? Or is it a cost of doing business for landlords? I find it disturbing that an owner would not see this just as a cost of doing business and incorporate that into their expenses and handle it like every other expense.
Is this a case of a few bad apples for owners? If so, maybe those righteous and vocal owners should help the town discover the cause of the issue and maybe all of this could have been avoided.
What about creating a fund from fines issued during this year's inspection to pay for next year's inspections? Think of it as a 1-time fee to have your house inspected - like when you purchase a new home. No-one seems to complain about paying for that inspection. It would be this kind of out-of-the-box thinking that would be better severed than taking the easy route of asking the town [i.e. the taxpayers] to cover the costs.
Like most home owners, I like that my street is plowed, my garbage is picked up, the school is open for business, that the police and fire departments will respond if I am in need and countless other services provided by the town funded by my excise taxes and if landowners are going to allow over-capacity renters - which puts a strain our town's departments - then you bet they are going to have to pay for it. If the $50 per unit is too much for them maybe they will rethink the way they rent and it is this new mentality - not yearly inspections - that will permanently correct this problem and actually benefit the community.
Labels: Local, Op-Ed
