Thank You, Steve Wynn

The announcement last week of more than $197,000 in additional grants from Wynn Resorts to local nonprofits and organizations certainly comes as good news.  This brings the total for the Impact Fund to $397,000 in 2017.  A lot of the credit for these grants goes to Mayor Martin Walsh, who did a great job in negotiating community benefits for Charlestown.

Equally, a lot of credit goes to Massachusetts Gaming Commission and Steve Wynn who kept Charlestown’s nonprofits in mind  when they did not have to during the licensing process.

There is no doubt that Charlestown will be greatly impacted by Wynn Boston Harbor when it opens in two years.  However, we already are being affected by the ever-expanding Assembly Square, from which we receive only a small mitigation stipend compared to Wynn’s.

We are not saying that these grants will whitewash the inconvenience of the added traffic from the Wynn project.  But what we are saying is that we know Steve Wynn will do what he needs to do to make sure that his resort’s customers will not sit in traffic on Rutherford Ave. and Sullivan Square. We have no doubt that Wynn Resort’s accountants have an algorithm that figures out how much money is not being spent in its restaurants, lounges, and casinos for every additional minute that a resort guest sits in traffic.

So by alleviating traffic jams for its customers, Wynn also will be providing relief from traffic jams for Charlestown residents.

Truly, this is a Wynn-win situation for all concerned.

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