Don’t expect a long program ahead of the Encore Boston Harbor ribbon cutting on Sunday morning, June 23, but expect the City and the company to get things moving and get the doors open.
Encore will open officially to the public at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 23, and that will be preceded by a short program at 9:30 a.m. to celebrate the moment. However, after seven years of speeches and discussion about Encore, the time will be punctuated with the goal of getting inside the building.
Elected officials from the City and state are expected to be there, along with company executives from all over the world. A large contingent of media is also expected to be present for the opening morning as well.
There are to be a few small surprises, but the goal, once again, is to get people in the door.
A full plan for transportation will be put in place early that day, with officers from the State Police, Everett Police, Boston Police, Medford Police and Chelsea Police on forced overtime to monitor the streets into and out of the Encore casino area.
Transportation executives for Encore, the MBTA and law enforcement agencies have been meeting for several months to coordinate the opening period plan. That plan is flexible, and executives said that if there needs to be a change in routing vehicles, they will be able to do that on the fly.
The casino will be stressing the use of its shuttle from Wellington and Malden Center Stations, as well as the Neighborhood Runner in Everett/Chelsea and the water shuttles in the Harbor. For those coming from long distances, the Encore buses are the preferred option, with depots north, south and west of Greater Boston.
Parking on site at Encore is $22 for six hours, $42 for 24 hours, and $49 for 24-hour valet parking. As part of the special grand opening offer, Red Card holders can use one COMPDOLLAR to pay for onsite parking.
Inside the casino after opening, the State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit’s Encore deployment, commanded by State Police Lt Timothy Babbin and made up of MSP Troopers and Everett Police Officers, will enforce the law inside and outside the casino to maintain a safe environment for the employees and patrons of the casino and to assist in preserving the integrity of the gaming operation. Unit members will be first responders to any emergency incident on casino property, and will conduct follow-up investigations for any potential criminal act on the property. State Police personnel are, of course, supplemented on the casino floor by private security employed by the casino, which is under the excellent direction of retired Massachusetts State Police Special Operations commander Richard Prior.
The Troopers and Officers in the unit have undergone training in best practices related to casino security and policing, a spokesman said. In addition to our responsibilities at Encore, the Gaming Enforcement Unit, under the overall command of Detective Lt. Brian Connors, is supported by the full resources of the Massachusetts State Police as necessary.