This Friday, a gigantic ‘thank you’ celebration for construction workers and stakeholders will unfold on the site of the Wynn Boston Harbor casino project.
Meanwhile, at nearly the same time, there will be a very high-stakes meeting going on at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) regarding the fate of Steve Wynn and the entire project itself.
All eyes will be on the MGC and how it handles the meeting – and just about every word or reaction could be a clue.
The MGC will take up the matter in a special Adjudicatory Hearing on whether or not to allow former CEO Steve Wynn to be removed as a “qualifier” from the project, basically erasing him from Wynn Boston Harbor and allowing the project to move forward with others at the helm. Among the things that will be examined are whether Steve Wynn still has a part in the company, and whether or not he exercises control despite being removed.
Any hesitation or reluctance on the part of the MGC is likely to be noticed by the Wynn organization and the City of Everett.
Many in the Wynn organization, both local and in Las Vegas, were reportedly surprised in February when the MGC and its chair, Steve Crosby, announced that they were an ‘at risk’ project. It didn’t go unnoticed.
Now, with the company seeking to legally remove Steve Wynn from the project and the organization, all eyes will be on how the MGC proceeds with that request – as it could give important clues into the future of Wynn’s involvement with the casino here.
“The CEO of the board has told me if Friday goes well regarding Mr. Wynn then things are going well,” said Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria. “If things don’t go well, we’ll know the Gaming Commission doesn’t want Wynn…If they do remove him as a qualifier, then they’ll move forward and continue on. They want to do business here and we want them to be here.”
Reports are that many of the executives from Las Vegas, including CEO Matt Maddox, will be in town for the meeting and the celebration.
The MGC said it would not be issuing a decision on Friday, but would take all of the information under consideration. A decision is expected next week.
The celebration will be for thousands of workers to commemorate the topping off of the concrete portion of the building, which will signal that the building is as high as it’s going to get.
Cranes are due to come down in early May, and the glass exterior should be completed this summer.
The topping off will likely be upstaged by a much larger event expected later in the summer when the trademark Wynn ‘swoosh’ is ceremonially installed onto the top corner of the building.
By the fall, the entire outside envelope of the building is expected to be completed so that the HVAC systems can be fired up and work can begin on the inside.