New England Public Radio

MGM Springfield and its host city wasted no time moving forward after the defeat of Ballot Question 3, which would have repealed the casino law in Massachusetts.

While the political campaign to allow casinos in the state may be over, most of the practical work is still ahead. On the morning after voters rejected ballot question 3, a geo-technical company was already drilling at the future site of MGM Springfield in the city’s south end.

While three workers tested the soil that will go under a proposed 2000-car garage, MGM executives — including vice president Kelley Tucky — came out to check on the progress.

“This is the beginning of a new phase for us,” says Tucky. “I mean, we’ve been working for three years. but this is when we begin to start seeing the fruits of our labor.”

The rest of the city’s south end was also abuzz with casino talk. At Albano’s Market a block away, the Albano sisters — Philomena and Theresa — were making sandwiches and feeling optimistic.

“It’ll bring pp back downtown and not be afraid to go to the restaurants and enjoy whatever’s there.”

Theresa Albano says she’s not worried that the casino will attract a criminal element – at least, not more than already exists.

“There’ll be more people around, it’s a safer environment,” she says. “After 5 oclock, the streets are deserted, except for the people you maybe don’t want to be in contact with.”

Around the corner on Williams Street, Jim Bermudez was eating lunch outside Frigo’s Deli. He’s also glad the casino law survived.

“I spend a lot of time down here in the south end, over at Buckeye cigar shop around the corner, come here and eat all the time, my running route goes right down main street,” he says, “and I think especially after the hurricane hit, it was really time for a change and Springfield needs something to revitalize the downtown area and bring people in.”

Bermudez teaches math at Central High school — and thinks, on the whole, his students will benefit from the entertainment and tax revenue that come with a casino.

“Will there be negatives? I’m sure we’re going to have some parents who have trouble with gambling and alcoholism, and it may impact them more havving it in their neighborhood,” Bermudez says, “but I think the good might outweigh the bad.”

There were still a couple “Vote Yes, Stop the Casino Mess” signs on neighborhood lawn. But with the election over, Springfield’s economic development director Kevin Kennedy considers the debate closed.

“It is the greenlight to go ahead with the largest economic development project in the city’s history,” Kennedy says.

Kennedy says he’s already been on the phone with MGM to start on construction and demolition permits, and his team is figuring out how much money to set aside for city-related work on the project.

“It is a number that I really don’t want to talk about right now because I have to do a little more negotiating with MGM about that,” he says.

MGM’s Kelley Tucky says the next item on the company’s agenda is picking up its official casino license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in Boston — and coming up with a construction timeline.The casino says it will start hiring employees in 2016, and open the following year.