RUMFORD – Seth Carey on Friday presented a plan to build a resort and gaming facility somewhere in Oxford County that he said will bring jobs, additional recreational opportunities and a greater chance of keeping local young people in the area.
The informational session, in the Municipal Auditorium, was held as the official launching of a petition drive to force a statewide citizen’s ballot vote on allowing a casino during the November, 2007 election.
The referendum question, approved by the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday, proposes to allow a Maine company to have the only casino in Maine, to be located in Oxford County, if a part of the revenue is used to fund specific state programs.
Carey said 39 percent of profits would go to such things as repayment of college loans for Maine graduates, construction of an east-west highway, and prescription drugs for elderly residents.
The remaining 61 percent would be used to further develop the resort/casino, said Carey.
“I envision a resort that blends into the landscape, a green design that is environmentally friendly,” he told the 30 or so people and members of the media who turned out. “We had depended on the mill, but the future seems to lie in the service industry. I believe we should be proactive.”
Although fewer than 10 people are now behind the project, Carey said he expects more people to come on board his grassroots effort.
He said the signatures of 10 percent of state voters who vote in November’s governor’s election must sign his petition in order to make it to the ballot in 2007. That number could be 40,000 or more.
So far, Mike Davis, operations officer for Evergreen Enterprises and a friend who went to school in Rumford with Carey, said no one has been hired to circulate the petitions, but plans are to make it available at various festivals and other events this summer, as well as at the polls in November.
The small group is financing the project, but Carey believes as the effort gains momentum, more people will be willing help financially.
In addition to a gaming facility, Carey wants to capitalize on the natural resources available in the Western Maine area, such as hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, canoeing, golfing and fishing, as well as develop an orchard, winery and microbrewery in what he termed a long-range project.
He said his plan for a resort/casino could be successful when another, proposed for Sanford a year or so ago, was not, because the facility would be by-and-for Maine people in an area that is desperate for change.
Town Manager Steve Eldridge said following the presentation that he wasn’t sure what Carey had said.
“He didn’t tell how he’d get funded, the location, the number of employees,” said Eldridge.
Although he declined to comment on whether he favored a casino, Eldridge did say that a resort was a great idea.
“There are a number of good places where you’d find great vistas,” he said.
Selectman Greg Buccina said the board has not yet taken a stance on Carey’s plan.
“We’ll discuss it at an upcoming meeting,” he said.
He said, too, that he wants to talk with other towns, such as Bangor and Foxwoods in Connecticut to learn the impact a gambling facility has on the area.
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