WPRO News and The Associated Press
Tribal and city officials are touting the economic benefits of a $500 million resort casino the tribe hopes to build in the southeastern Massachusetts city of Taunton.
Mayor Thomas Hoye said Monday that the casino project would mean at least $8 million annually for the city as well as bring about $30 million in traffic-related improvements.
“It’s a great day,” said Hoye. “You know, from day one this has been about economic development through this partnership, so we’re excited it’s going to happen. It’s great for this region, it’s great for the City of Taunton.”
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell said it’s hoped the casino project will start in the spring of 2016.
Dozens of members of the federally-recognized, Cape Cod-based tribe then visited the future site of the casino in a nearby business and industrial park.
The federal government, in a surprise decision Friday, accepted the tribe’s application for reservation status for 150 acres of land in Mashpee and 150 acres in Taunton, ending years of uncertainty for the tribe.
“For centuries, we walked these lands, we knew these lands were ours and through the land-into-trust process, it recognizes exactly who we are, and that was an important feat for us,” said Cromwell.
“We’re just worried about the next seven generations,” of the tribe, said Tribal Council member Winnie Johnson-Graham.
“So we can make sure that they’re set, and having our land into trust was one of our biggest excitements and it was our number one priority,” she said.
