July 31–Casino mogul Steve Wynn wants to subsidize MBTA service that runs near his proposed Everett gambling site, even as he wrangles with the state over a key parcel of MBTA property.
Wynn is offering the financially beleaguered agency yearly payments of about $500,000 set to begin in 2018, MassDOT spokesman Michael Verseckes said.
The payments are expected to be used to ease the bump in ridership headed to the casino as well as at peak hours along that line.
“MassDOT and the MBTA are pleased with the proponent’s proposal to subsidize the operating costs of Orange Line service,” Verseckes said. “The subsidy will allow for enhanced service that will address capacity issues at key periods, as well as accommodating additional ridership generated as a result of the development.”
The offer comes as Wynn’s $1.7 billion dollar casino is facing several roadblocks.
Wynn’s proposal is tied up in a state environmental review, and MBTA land he needs for site access is in escrow until the review is complete. The state reversed Wynn’s $6 million purchase of the land after finding the review should have been completed first.
The casino project is also in the sights of Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s scorched-earth lawsuit against the state Gaming Commission, which came after Walsh and Wynn butted heads over mitigation payments and allegations Wynn got a license as the result of corrupt process. In federal court, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz is prosecuting three former stakeholders in Wynn’s land — Charles Lightbody, Anthony Gattineri and Dustin DeNunzio — for defrauding Wynn about the hidden stake of Lightbody, a convicted felon with mob ties.
