A joint venture casino project of Connecticut’s Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegan tribe received five site proposals ahead of last Friday’s deadline.
According to a press release, MMCT Venture—the joint casino project of Pequots and Mohegan—received submissions from East Hartford, East Windsor, Hartford and Windsor Locks before the deadline.
“The response we’ve received since releasing the RFP has been overwhelming,” said Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council. “Our mission hasn’t changed. We want this new facility to be located in a community that wants us there and values the jobs and revenue we’ll bring.”
The tribes did not release any details on any of the proposals but Butler said Pearce Real Estate, the company managing the proposals for MMCT, would review all the offers and is expected to make its decision by December 15.
“This process began to preserve thousands of jobs and millions in revenue which will leave (Connecticut), the loss of which MGM has repeatedly acknowledged is necessary to make their project in Springfield a success,” said Mohegan Tribal Council Chairman Kevin Brown. “As members of communities with deep ties to this state, we’re simply not going to let that happen without a fight. With this phase complete, we can now begin to engage interested parties and save Connecticut jobs.”
East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc, in a community offering to the public, said that the town proposed the old Showcase Cinemas site along I-84, which “represents a fully compliant package of municipal support, quick time to market, extremely high visibility from the highway and easy access from the Greater Hartford region.” The site is expected to attract 10,000 visitors daily.
Outgoing mayor of Hartford Pedro Segarra said that a casino would have a big impact in the region regardless of the location, while first selectman of East Windsor Denise Menard told MassLive that the town is considering two submissions for a town-owned and a private property.
