Steven J Connolly
Amtrak in New Hampshire.
This is an article about the Amtrak Downeaster train running from Boston to Portland. Yesterday's Union Leader had an interesting story (which I can't get) about the need for future funding for this train in light of the upcoming expiration of a federal grant which was used to start the service. To date, New Hampshire has not contributed any financial resources for the Amtrak Downeaster. The question associated with this statement is: is this good policy? Should New Hampshire be supporting the operations of this train? Concerning policy the State of Vermont which has substantially less population and financial resources is still able to provide financial subsidies for two Amtrak trains the Vermonter and the Ethan Allen Express. Again, I'll ask the question should New Hampshire be providing funding for the Amtrak Downeaster? Boston-Portland train service resumes with Downeaster's inaugural runBy Clark Canfield, Associated Press, 12/14/01 ABOARD THE DOWNEASTER -- Amtrak's Downeaster rolled from Boston to Portland on Friday amid hoopla and celebration, marking the return of passenger trains after a 36-year absence.
The run was ceremonial and largely symbolic, with hundreds of politicians, state and Amtrak officials, guests and whistle-stops at stations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. At each stop, flag-waving, camera-toting crowds cheered the train, and marching bands played in celebration. Regularly scheduled Amtrak service from Portland to Boston, with stops at seven stations in between, begins Saturday. Maine Gov. Angus King called the long-awaited arrival of passenger trains a historic occasion that will strengthen the connection between Boston and Maine and New Hampshire. "It only took 13 years, but we've done it at this point," King told a crowd of several hundred people who turned out to greet the train in Wells. "Now we've got to ride it." Train supporters have been working for more than a decade trying to bring passenger rail service back to Maine. So it was almost with a sense of disbelief when, at 10:50 a.m., the Downeaster glided down Track No. 7 out of Boston's North Station. For the next four-and-a-half hours, it rolled smoothly through countryside and cities with stops in Haverhill, Mass., Exeter, Durham and Dover, N.H., and Wells, Saco and Old Orchard Beach in Maine before arriving in Portland. The train's nine cars carried more than 400 people; when regular service resumes, the Downeaster will have an engine, three passenger cars and a cafe car with a total capacity of 230 passengers. Friday's trains carried dignitaries including King, Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Maine Reps. Tom Allen and John Baldacci and other officials, including acting Amtrak Chairman Michael Dukakis. Al White was also on board. He was a conductor on the "State of Maine Express" passenger train for its last run out of Portland on Oct. 29, 1960. A one-car train continued running from Portland to Boston until 1965, White said. Wearing the same conductor's cap and uniform he wore 40 years ago, and carrying the same train record book he carried back then, White said it was a mistake to give up on train service in the first place. "I'm tickled to death to see the trains come back," said White, who is 80 and lives in Falmouth. "It's something I never thought I'd see while I was alive." The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority estimates 320,000 passengers will ride the Downeaster in the first year. Supporters say the number is conservative, while New Hampshire officials say it could be half that. But Friday was not a day for critics. It was a time of celebration wherever the train stopped. In Durham, N.H., for instance, hundreds of train supporters and members of the University of New Hampshire marching band were on hand when the train pulled into town. "We've been waiting for the train for five years," said Elaine Mangan of Durham, who came with her husband and 2-year-old daughter. "We can't wait to take the train to Boston and to Portland. "And the train for her," she said, gesturing to her daughter Lily, "is really exciting." In Wells, the high school band played "I'm a Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville." The Downeaster will have four round trips each day; the first train will leave Portland at 6:05 a.m., and the last will arrive back in the city at 11 p.m. A round-trip ticket will cost $35, and a one-way ticket will cost $21. For now, the train is restricted to a maximum speed of 60 mph, and the 114-mile Portland-to-Boston trip will take 2 hours and 45 minutes. But the top speed is expected to increase to 79 mph if tests determine the tracks can handle that speed, which would make the trip 2 hours and 20 minutes. Dukakis said Congress needs to commit itself to funding Amtrak as part of a national transportation policy. Without a viable high-speed train system, he said, the country's highway and airport systems will eventually come to a grinding halt. "It's a no-brainer," he said. The return of train service is especially gratifying for Wayne Davis, chairman of TrainRiders Northeast, who has been pushing for the return of trains for 13 years. Getting Amtrak service took longer than construction of the transcontinental railroad and cost more than $50 million. Davis said he became frustrated at times at how long the process took. But he never lost hope, and he never stopped working to bring trains back. "I still wonder why it took so long," he said. "But it was the right thing to do." |   | ||||||
Who is Jennifer Horn?
One of the candidates in the upcoming race for the New Hampshire second congressional district is Jennifer Horn, whose website describes as “a newspaper columnist and radio host.”
“I am running for Congress in the 2nd District of New Hampshire to return government back to the American people.” said Horn from the website. Horn, who has never served in elected office has also issued frequent public statements that are highly critical of the incumbent Congressman, Paul Hodes.
“Paul Hodes is a do-nothing Representative in a do-nothing Congress. The people of the 2nd district deserve better and they are demanding change.” she said in a press release. The second congressional district represents the western half of New Hampshire running from Pittsburgh in the north down to Littleton and then down through the length of the Connecticut River valley to Keene. The lengthy district also includes Nashua and the capitol city of Concord but ends at the gates to Manchester.
If change is the all important political theme for the Jennifer Horn campaign then Berlin, Gorham and Groveton and indeed all of northern New Hampshire may be one area of the second congressional district where residents want and need this change. In early February, Gorham based Fraser Papers announced a layoff of 167 fulltime employees and the idling of half its production capacity. For many of the employees of this historic mill this announcement wasn’t unexpected it was forthcoming. The papermills in Berlin and Groveton had already closed, throwing upwards of 600 people into the ravages of unemployment in an area of the state that historically offers few jobs. So the questions for candidate Jennifer Horn now are: is economic development and jobs for northern New Hampshire important? And what does she intend to do if she is elected? Her press releases seem to be silent on these questions.
Not long after the Fraser paper layoff announcement Congressman Paul Hodes held a conference call with the Gorham mill workers and local reporters to update them on his immediate efforts to assist in this situation.
“I will do everything I can to keep these jobs in Gorham.” said the Congressman. I think he has done just this. In addition to sponsoring legislation like the Northern Border Regional Development Act, which if passed would invest $40 million dollars a year into northern New Hampshire to protect industries like papermaking, Congressman Hodes has also worked with federal officials like the U.S. Energy Secretary for assistance in energy policy that will reduce overall operating costs and make the Gorham papermills more competitive in world markets. The efforts of Rep. Hodes I think are clearly working, Fraser Papers has recently announced that it had secured some futher contracts for its paper and that it was making progress on the energy issues affecting its business. As a result only 90 workers will be laid off.
Mass. kills casino legislation.
Region Cast Its Votes on Casinos
By Denise Locke
“New England voters went to the polls in November to cast their votes on expanded gambling. Ballot questions asking communities whether or not they would support casinos in the town of Chicopee, Pittsfield and Worcester were approved. Pittsfield reported a 59 percent majority in favor of a casino in their town, while approvals in Chicopee and Worcester edged out a 51 percent approval.
Gov. Deval Patrick recently came out in favor of licensing three resort casinos, one of which would be slated for the western Massachusetts. The ballot questions are non-binding, but will play in important role when legislation is filed later this month. Meanwhile, Maine voters turned down a Passamaquoddy Tribe’s initiative to build a racino in Washington County. Maine already has one racino in Bangor, Hollywood Slots, which is home to almost 500 slot machines. Hollywood Slots is in a temporary facility while their permanent casino is being built.”
The article appeared in the December 2007 edition of New England Gaming News.
The current issue of New England Gaming News April 2008 is not available online but on page 3 there is an article “Mass. Craps Out on Casinos.” By Gary Locke.
Some of the main points included:
Senate Joint Economic Committee Voted 10-8 killing the legislation which would have granted licenses for three casinos. The date was March 18.
The defeat of the legislation will cost Massachusetts an expected 400 million from licensing fees from the casinos, and thousands of construction jobs.
“The Committee had a responsibility to allow for a fair process in which the merits of destination resort casinos legislation would be debated extensively and thoughtfully. On this responsibility to provide for basic democracy the Committee fell woefully short.” Said AFL-CIO president Robert J. Hayes.
The defeat of the Massachusetts legislation I think creates a much larger market for New Hampshire based casinos if legislation like the currently tabled Senate Bill 306 were ever to be passed. This same newspaper also had a short news point about a survey that was recently done by the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth which stated that in 2007 Massachusetts residents spent 846 million dollars at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos. I’m confident if New Hampshire did a similar type of study it would amount to millions of dollars leaving the granite state.
The website for the New England Gaming News www.thenegn.com
Steven J Connolly
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The math works but the policy does not.
Senate Bill 306-FN the math works but the policy does not.
An example: On November 7-13 the Foxwoods Resort and Casino hosted the World Poker Tour with a Texas Holdem no-limit tournament. The buy-in was $9700.00+$300.00 and there were 575 players at this event.
Consider what would have happened if Senate Bill 306 had been passed into state law and there were a casino in Berlin which hosted an event similar if not exactly like this WPT event. Here is the analysis and what this tournament would have meant for the State of New Hampshire.
Tournament Details
- 575 players @ $10,000.00 per player. $5,750,000.00
- 47% House Rake (fees to Berlin Casino). $2,702,500.00
- State of New Hampshire fee 9% $ 243,225.00
- 6.75% Room and Meals Tax from 575 players$ 16,495.32 spend and avg. of $425.00 for this event.
- Total Revenues to New Hampshire $ 259,720.32
SB 306 Fiscal Note
- 1200 Video Lottery Machines (VLM) $296.00 a day at 360 days a year. $127,872,000
- State of New Hampshire 25% fee source: $ 31,968,000 public hearing SB 306.
- VLM License Fees $ 1,000,000
- Total Revenues to New Hampshire $160,840,000
Other Financial Considerations
Testimony at the hearing for Senate Bill 306-FN stated that the State of New Hampshire could charge between 20-40 million dollars for the 30 year license granted to the casino operator in Berlin, New Hampshire.
The Casino operator would pay property taxes to the City of Berlin, create employment with benefits and assist in needed regional economic development and taxbase expansion.
Please contact Senate President Sylvia Larsen at (603)-271-2111 and ask her office to remove Senate Bill 306-FN from the table and offer a motion: Ought to Pass.