| On March 29, the
Gettysburg Borough Council will decide whether to testify at Straban
Township in front of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. On
April 5, 2006, in Straban Township, the gaming board is holding a
public hearing to aid its final decision on whether or not to allow
construction of a 3,000-slot machine casino at the intersection of
routes 15 and 30.
Ted Streeter, President of the Gettysburg
council spoke rationally, “We feel it’s only fair we call a public
meeting and let the public voice their concerns.”
Casino talks began in late April of 2005 when
Gettysburg native and current CEO of Chance Enterprises, David LeVan,
proposed the idea of building a gaming resort and spa. LeVan
promised $10 million to both Adams County and Straban Township.
Chance Enterprises predicts that the economic
benefits created by the casino will completely overshadow negligible
social costs. The $300 million dollar endeavor is projected to
generate an 8% increase to the Straban Township economy and bring an
additional 3.2 million tourists to the area each year.
Chance submitted its application for a stand
alone slots casino license on Dec 28, 2005. Though the council has
yet to take a side on the proposal, Gettysburg has been torn on the
issue. Much of the casino resistance comes from religious groups,
historical preservationists and No Casino Gettysburg, a prominent
anti-casino group.
At their meeting the council will allow a
half-hour to both the pro-casino and anti-casino lobbyists.
Streeter says the borough has already submitted an application for
permission to testify at the gaming board hearing. The application
specifies the casino’s economic impact as their topic of focus.
The local economy has been at the front of
concerns in the Gettysburg borough government. They suffered tax
hikes this year due to financial troubles last year. Streeter
explained, “Our Basic position is if we decide to testify, we feel
we deserve a substantial cut of the pie. We can’t live on promises
anymore.”
Streeter says of the 3.2 million projected
annual guests, “We’d love to have them, but we can’t afford to have
them without compensation.” Streeter, like many others, is
concerned about how the area will fund additional police and other
required borough services.
Streeter feels compelled to arrange a chance
for the citizens of Gettysburg to share their concerns about the
casino while they still matter. “We're almost obligated. I mean,
this is Gettysburg,” he said.
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