ROAD TRIP PALMER

It was a beautiul sunny day, the temperatures were in the sixties. I thought this is a great day for a road trip. I called up several Mohegan Tribal members and said let's do a road trip.

The destination would be Palmer, Massachusetts. We picked that location because that is where the MTGA (the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authortiy, Mohegan Tribal Council) is planning a future casino.

After gasing up and getting some coffee, off the three of us, went driving up I-395 to the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) to Palmer. About an hour and a half later we were at exit 8, we turned off and saw a sign about the future casino. the sign said "Palmer Casino yes."

We went to a local refreshment stand and talked to the owner as we ate a couple of hot dogs, some fries and a hamburger. The foods wasn't that great but the information the owner provided was wonderful. He told how there had been a Walmart and that where it was is now a Lowe's, which he said was not doing a very good business. We learned the town had a one time had five (5) mills that have been shut down for years. The local airport has been closed for years. The town has a population of between an estimated 12,000 to 13,000 people. He didn't want a casino in town.

The town is old and worn out, a mix of old store fronts and some new buildings. It needs a shot in the arm. We rode around looking for the Satellite office that we had been told existed by the Tribal Council recently at a meeting. We asked a woman, where the office was, so to be helpful she called the town hall. According to the employees of the Town Hall the building was 1246 Main Street. a former shoe store, that was vacant. Were we in the right place? I thought we had already set this office up. She didn't want a casino in her town either.

We found out the casino property is located on top of the hill (looked like a mountain to me) that has no existing access that we could find. We asked another woman, how to get up there and she told us a dead end side street. She didn't want a casino in her town either.

Palmer, Massachusetts, is located in Hampden County, with a population according to the 2000 census a population of 12,497. Within 50 miles is a population including Springfield of only about 461,000 people. Springfield, Massachusetts, (population 154,000) about 21 miles away.
Albany, New York is about 100 miles away and one hour and forty minute driving time. It would be easier for a resident of Albany to go the Oneida's Turning Stone Casino.

We took Route 32 back into Connecticut all the way back to Norwich, Connecticut (Route 32 is the same road in Connecticut and Massachusetts). It is 55 miles from the Mohegan Sun Casino and between one hour and ten minutes to one hour and a half away.

We came away, thinking that this is another bad deal. How many times do we (the Mohegan Tribe) have to do the same thing? Isn't this like Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs? Are we making the same mistake again? Are the results going to be different? Maybe it is time for new leadership? Maybe it is time for new management? What do you think?