New York: Casino proposal finds support in Schenectady County

The bipartisan action (two members were absent) Tuesday night by the panel took place less than 24 hours after Schenectady City Council members voted 5-2 to back an identical resolution after several comments both for and against the project.

Legislators also voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to support a second casino-related resolution to use the estimated US$5.7 million in host fees that Schenectady could get for property tax relief.That figure, according to the county, could translate into an 8 percent reduction in county real estate taxes.

The resolutions are critical because the state Gaming Facility Location Board, also known as the Siting Board, will consider them when selecting where casinos go.About a half dozen people spoke Tuesday night, with all but one of them urging the legislators to endorse the casino proposal.

Pete Stearns, business manager for Local 157 in Schenectady, a union representing hundreds of laborers, said a gaming hall would serve a magnet. "If a community wants to prosper, they need a draw," he said.

Jim Salengo of the Downtown Schenectady Improvement was among those who lauded the partnership between Galesi Group of Rotterdam and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming. He said Galesi has been a "major contributor to the rebirth of downtown Schenectady" while Rush Street has a "solid track record of with local businesses."

Schenectady resident Jason Planck complained that there was no cost benefit analysis done and wondered if the projected 1,200 permanent casino employees would settle in the city.

The Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor will be a 50,000-square-foot gambling hall featuring 66 table games and between 1,000 and 1,150 slot machines, according to Rush Street executives. It would be on the south side of the roughly 60-acre tract Galesi owns on Erie Boulevard.

The cost of the casino — part of the larger Mohawk Harbor residential and retail building project — is pegged at US$300 million.

Galesi also plans to transform the former American Locomotive Co. plant, a polluted brownfield, into a US$150 million mixed-use project, with a harbor and 50-boat slip, a hotel, a movie and TV studio, offices, apartments and retail and commercial space.

Majority Leader Gary Hughes said while he is not a big fan of gambling, voting for a casino in Schenectady was a no-brainer.