Boston given One More Week to Reach Accord

The City of Boston and Mohegan Sun will have another week to work out a surrounding community agreement or face arbitration.

On Monday the Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted the city one more week after the deadline to come to a mitigation agreement with Mohegan Sun in Revere came and went.

Mass Gaming Commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said every surrounding community is provided the opportunity to use an additional 14 days in the process of negotiations as they see fit.

“Some may choose to use some of the 14 or all of them,” said Dirscoll. “They can use them during negotiations with an applicant or during arbitration. It is my understanding that Boston does intend to utilize some of the additional days available to them.”

Driscoll confirmed that the City of Boston requested to use six of the 14 days available to them.

Mayor Martin Walsh, who launched a campaign to get Boston named a host community instead of a surrounding community said in a statement released Monday, “The City of Boston has been actively engaged in negotiations with both casino proponents. If and when a deal is reached, we will discuss the terms, but will not characterize the negotiations as they stand now, short of saying that our legal team feels as though an additional week will be helpful as we move forward in these discussions. Mayor Walsh still feels strongly that Boston is a host community to both proposals, and recognizes that his role is to protect the best interests of the people of Boston, particularly those in East Boston and Charlestown.”

Mohegan Sun President Mitchell Etess said, “Mohegan Sun continues to have productive discussions with the City of Boston, and we are committed to reaching our 12th and final surrounding community agreement with the City.”