The president of MGM Resorts International, the company that is about to build a casino resort in Springfield, visited the city yesterday and threw light on the future actions of the company. Last week, it was announced that the initial design of the resort has been changed and as a result, the 25-story hotel was excluded from the project. However, William Hornbuckle stated that the company was not going to give up on its intentions to establish a first-class casino resort in Springfield and complete the project within the set deadline.
According to the new plan, the resort will feature a six-story hotel, 250 rooms, and up to 35 apartments. The MGM president met the Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno and after the meeting, it became clear that the MGM venue is to be established in the school department building, which has not been occupied for five years now.
William Hornbuckle did not hide his disappointment about the hotel tower that has been excluded from the initial plan. Yet, he added that MGM remains committed on the project completion.
Mr. Hornbuckle confirmed that the resort is expected to open doors for guests and players in the fall of 2018 and its opening is believed to have a positive impact on the local economy as more than 3,000 job positions will be available. He said that MGM has already invested a considerable amount of money into the project and walking out of the deal at such a crucial stage would be absolutely useless.
MGM President reassured the local communities that the casino that is to be established in the northern part of Connecticut was not going to pose a threat to the revenue and popularity of the Springfield-based venue.
The Mayor of Springfield also commented on the matter and said that every detail he and the MGM President have discussed during the meeting will be materialized. MGM is yet to obtain the necessary approvals concerning the changes in the design.
Meanwhile, the City Council proposed a referendum to take place next month, so city authorities can take a final stance on the design matter. Despite the MGM promises, some council members are still not convinced that the casino resort would bring the expected benefits such as economy diversification and lower unemployment rate. Actually, some members of the Gaming Commission questioned the effectiveness of the proposed changes as soon as they were introduced two weeks ago.
MGM has already signed a preliminary agreement related to the purchase of the former school department building with the aim of convincing the local authorities that regardless of the changes, they are not going to give up on the casino resort establishment.
