<p>The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has officially broken ground on a long-promised gambling facility in the small up-Island town, unleashing a flurry of concern.</p>
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has officially broken ground on a long-promised gambling facility in the small up-Island town, unleashing a flurry of concern from Island residents and the threat of possible legal action on more than one side.
Former Wiener property has been the site of heavy equipment all week.
Former Wiener property has been the site of heavy equipment all week.
And as heavy equipment rumbled across tribal land off State Road amid massive clear cutting and stump removal, in a testy exchange of letters Wampanoag chairman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais repeatedly warned the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and town leaders not to interfere.
“Please be advised that any repeated effort by the town to stop the tribe’s gaming operation will be countered with an aggressive legal defense by the tribe,” Ms. Andrew-Maltais wrote in a Feb. 22 letter to the Aquinnah selectmen.
Over a period of six days, five letters were exchanged between the tribe, the town and the commission over the bingo hall.
The latest, hand delivered to the tribe from the MVC on Monday this week proposing a meeting between the commission and the tribe, prompted a response from Ms. Andrews-Maltais calling it “a disingenuous overture” and directing all further communications to be sent to the tribe’s attorneys.
Commission chairman Douglas Sederholm said Wednesday that the MVC remains willing to meet with members of the tribe and is open to “all possible options.”
The tribe was cleared to build the bingo hall by the U.S. Supreme Court late last year when it refused to hear the town’s petition for review of a ruling by the U.S. Appeals Court for the First Circuit. That ruling affirmed the sovereign rights of the Wampanoags to pursue gaming on tribal lands.
Though work on the site was apparent a week ago, the start of construction on the class two bingo hall was formally announced by the tribe in a press release that went out Saturday night.
“We remain committed to bringing positive economic development to our tribe, the town of Aquinnah and our neighbors in the larger Island community,” the statement said in part. “We bring to life the vision for this entertainment experience.”
Among other things, the announcement confirmed that the plan includes a 10,000-square-foot facility to house 250 electronic gaming machines, a beer and wine bar, outdoor seating and food trucks. Once it is up and operating, the casino will employ about 100 full and part-time workers, the announcement also said. Williams Building Co. of Hyannis is the general contractor.
Gravel drive leading to property from State Road has been closed off.
Gravel drive leading to property from State Road has been closed off.
The tribe had previously announced its partnership with Global Gaming Solutions, a business entity of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, to develop the project.
In the last week, an excavator and dump trucks have cleared oak trees and razed an old house on the 4.1-acre former Wiener property at 20 Black Brook Road. The tribe bought the property five years ago for $1.1 million, and the federal government accepted it into trust in early 2018.
The land is a mixture of forest and wetlands nestled between Black Brook and State Roads, with a stone wall running along one side. A gravel driveway connecting the property to State Road has been cordoned off with fencing and signs, including no trespassing signs.
According to the press release, construction on the bingo hall itself is set to begin in March and expected to take about six months to complete.
Last month both the Aquinnah and Chilmark selectman asked the MVC to review the bingo hall as a development of regional impact.
The requests triggered an exchange of letters with the tribe that Ms. Andrews-Maltais made public at the same time the press release went out Saturday.
The first was a letter hand delivered to Ms. Andrews-Maltais on Feb. 20 from MVC executive director Adam Turner, notifying her of the referrals from the two towns and requesting a meeting on Feb. 25.
“We trust that as the representatives of the original Islanders you share our desire to preserve the unique values of the Vineyard,” the letter said in part. “Regardless of political boundaries we are one Island.”
Responding by letter on Friday, Feb. 22, Ms. Andrews-Maltais said the commission lacks jurisdiction to review the project. She pointed to the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
“If the MVC embraces that court decision and acknowledges that the MVC lacks jurisdiction over the gaming project, the tribe is more than happy to engage in a government-to-government dialogue,” Ms. Andrews-Maltais wrote. She said while the tribe had been unaware of Chilmark’s referral to the commission, she strongly criticized Aquinnah for seeking MVC review of the bingo hall. “It is unfortunate that the town has involved the MVC (and now the town of Chilmark) in an attempt to further the town’s longstanding agenda of interference with the tribe’s exercise of its rights under federal law to have a gaming facility on its tribal lands on the Island,” Ms. Andrews-Maltais wrote.
In an even more sharply worded letter sent to the Aquinnah selectmen Friday, Ms. Andrews-Maltais demanded that the town withdraw its letter to the MVC or face severed ties and legal action.
Signs warn off trespassers.
Signs warn off trespassers.
“Even after losing in the highest court in the land (at no small monetary cost to all parties), the town now seeks to do what it now knows cannot be done directly,” she wrote. “Therefore, unless the town withdraws its letter to the MVC and acknowledges that the towns lacks jurisdiction over all the matters integral to the tribe’s gaming operation, the tribe will no longer engage in discussions with the town on gaming matters whatsoever.
“It is truly unfortunate that it has come to this.”
The back-and-forth exchange of letters continued into this week.
Ms. Andrew-Maltais did not respond to requests from the Gazette seeking comment.
Aquinnah selectmen were all away; this is school vacation week on the Island. On Friday morning a notice went out that the selectmen will hold a meeting on Tuesday at 8 a.m. The agenda includes the signing of a letter to the tribe, expected to take place in public, and an executive session to discuss “tribal casino action.”
Mr. Sederholm said the most recent correspondence relayed to the tribe suggests the commission would be willing to meet in private and not on condition that the tribe halt construction, although that letter has not been made public.
Meanwhile, the visible start of construction in the remote reaches of Aquinnah began to spark reaction.
Aquinnah town administrator Jeffrey Madison said he had received phone calls from concerned residents about the developments. He also expressed concern about the presence of debris and ice on the road near the project.
Mr. Madison, a member the tribe who spearheaded efforts in the 1990s to develop a casino on the mainland, said he believes a bingo hall in Aquinnah has little support among Islanders.
He said the tribe has about 1,500 members, with about a third of them living on Island.
“I don’t know what residents who live on tribal lands think, but people of my generation, who have longstanding roots in the community, do not support this project,” Mr. Madison said.
Wampanoag tribal elder and Aquinnah resident Buddy Vanderhoop had even stronger feelings.
“You can’t fix stupid,” Mr. Vanderhoop said. “This is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen happen. It’s really, really a travesty . . . I’ve lived here my whole life, and most of the people involved are off in New Bedford. This is not New Bedford. This is my backyard.”
See The Road to Casino Gambling, a timeline of the Aquinnah tribe's efforts to win approval over many years for a casino in Massachusetts.
Comments
Good for them. At first, I
BelindaGood for them. At first, I was disappointed. Now, I am behind them 100%. They deserve this and more
I gotta admit I'm with the
Not the Doc TizburyI gotta admit I'm with the tribe. The MVC has been an island bully for too long. I'm looking forward to visiting the casino when it opens.
200(+) years of Indian
Warchz200(+) years of Indian persecution by white America and this is the backlash. Take the white folks money, and laugh all the way to the bank. Curiosity will created an initial bust of business for the tribe, but it will soon fade, and only hardcore island gamblers will be willing to continue to give their money to the tribe. Off island gamblers will not be willing to take the time, or expend the money, to take the ferry to the island, rent a cab or take a bus to the facility, give away all their money, and then turn around and pay to leave. Summer residents may postpone the inevitable failure...so just give it time.
I'm waiting to hear from all
here we go again edgI'm waiting to hear from all those who want to 'protect the moths'. It became a big talking point with a subdivision in Edgartown, along with potential traffic. And lets not forget the wetlands. Or does that only apply to when its in your backyards. It appears to be typical MV Hypocrites.
You have to wonder: What
Dick AquinnahYou have to wonder: What will be the machine payoff for three stripers? Or the nearly impossible three squeteague? How about the hat trick of a bass, a blue and a bonito?
Was there an environmental
Bob EdgartownWas there an environmental impact study before this land was cleared? This is not about having a bingo slot machine parlor this is about preserving the land and character of the island. I cannot believe they are exempt from hurting the environment and wondering what studies were done. Where is the reporting on this issue? Did they uncover any artifacts is the clearing being overseen by pal? The tribe needs to work with the island and not be a bully.
Exactly! When we did a
Jason MVExactly! When we did a project in Aquinnah the Conservation Commission mandated an archeological study to ensure that there were no artifacts on the property. Was that same standard of care applied to the clear cutting of the land?
I am especially sad for the
Sara Piazza EdgartownI am especially sad for the actual long-time residents and community members- Buddy, Jeff, June, and others. Sad, sad, sad.
The ACTUAL long time
NATIVE AQThe ACTUAL long time-residents and community members??? What does that even mean. I am an ACTUAL tribal member and my ACTUAL ancestors were here before any of you. I don't agree with the building of the casino, it will impact my family as I am an Aquinnah resident. Because I live in tribal housing does that not make me an ACTUAL resident? This is my home and where I'm raising my family so it ACTUALLY effects all of us.
Native - Actually, I included
Sara Piazza EdgartownNative - Actually, I included you in my comment - are you not a community member? Who said you are not an actual resident or tribal member? I'm on your side. It's a sad situation. btw, I am also a an Island Native.
Native - I understand now why
Sara Piazza EdgartownNative - I understand now why you think you were not included in my comment - "long-time" was not meant to describe "community members" - I meant, long-time residents (such as Buddy, June, and Jeff, my contemporaries I grew up with who were quoted in the article), AND ALSO ALL community members; all residents who actually live there and whose quality of life will be affected.
I think the point was that
Islander TooI think the point was that one has heard fro a long time, and again recently, that Tribe members who live in Aquinnah did and do not support this project, but that it was the off-Island members, not actual residents, who want it.
I don’t love the idea of a
Charlie AquinnahI don’t love the idea of a casino but I’m Willing to Endure it if it has to be. However, the blatant disregard for maintaining the character of the community, the scenic beauty which is what Martha’s Vineyard and especially Aquinnah is all about Cannot be overlooked or overstated. A quaint casino tucked away without in-your-face visibility would be much more tolerable. The environmental impact, combined with the visual assault needs to be addressed. It’s in the long term best interests of everyone.
I wish I were enough part
Pat G MVY or 31EI wish I were enough part Indian to join Wampanoag Tribe. They have worked hard at getting gambling to the Island. They deserve to do it without interference. It is in their back yard. As to the artifacts its their ancestors who left them there. I hope the tribe makes enough to buy back all their forefathers land.
I'm not either for or against
R Scott Patterson EdgartownI'm not either for or against this gambling hall(I'm personally anti-gambling.) but I'm 100% behind the tribe having the right to do as they see fit on their own sovereign land as affirmed by the SCOTUS! It's up the the Wampanoag Tribe to decide if they want this or not. If tribal members have a problem with it they can fight it internally.
The Tribe had the right to do
Beverly Wright 135The Tribe had the right to do whatever they want on their land. The land is sovereign BUT
how it impacts the traffic to the casino, the noise, lighting at night, policing, fire, EMS etc is the concern of the MVC as a DRI. “no man is an island.”
I would think that all of
Sara Piazza EdgartownI would think that all of those issues would also concern the tribe as they consider how to use their land.
I believe the ancestral
Hal EdgartownI believe the ancestral tribal leaders of bygone eras are very saddened by this turn of events.....
As a long time seasonal
Concerned Islander AquinnahAs a long time seasonal resident, over three decades, and now as a full timer, I've watched for years as this casino proceeded along. I never really thought that it would come to fruition for the tribe. Now that it has, I'm reminded what happened in New Mexico where the landscape has been blighted by garish casinos with bright neon lighting filling the sky 24/7. I've also witnessed the impacts firsthand on the tribal members in that state, a lot of it is not pretty. Of course the tribe has the legal right to do as it pleases on its own sovereign lands,as decided fianlly in the couts. But it is sad to me that they have chosen this path. Now a large Indian gaming corporation will reap a substantial monetary benefit if this thing turns out to be viable, but the long term negative impact on the quietest, possibly most beautiful part of the island will be radically changed. I assumed that this bingo parlor would be a low profile, discreet structure that would not be visible from State Rd. This does not seem to be the case. I for one had hoped that the a different from of economic development had been chosen. Time will tell how this effects the local community and the island.
"That you don't know what you
peter robb oak bluffs and holliston, ma"That you don't know what you've got/til it's gone.
They paved paradise/and put up a parking lot." Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
Do you people think this is
Jimmy AqDo you people think this is going to be like the Trump Plaza or the Venetian or something? No. It's going to be a house with some bingo in it. Relax for Christ's sake. No wonder nothing ever gets done on this island.
“Bingo” in this instance is
J. Graham MV“Bingo” in this instance is not cards and daubers. It is class 2 gaming which presents exactly like slot machines. It is “bingo” in the technicality stretched to a loophole-ish sense only. Each “game” takes seconds to play.
Nothing ever gets done on
Year Rounder WEST TISBURYNothing ever gets done on this island ....... like nothing ever gets built on this island ? Like the massive, oversized second and third homes and housing developments that are rarely occupied but have a huge negative impact on the environment as they are heated and cooled 24/7. The fertilizers and pesticides to keep the lawns pristine, weed free and green infiltrate the single source aquifer and impact the tidal ponds, are put down year in and year out. I would counter that a lot " gets done " on this Island and its past time that more people start paying to the environmental impacts on the our water and lands that the MVC and town selectmen choose to ignore when it suits them.
Exactly!
R Scott Patterson EdgartownExactly!
When bones of their own
Nathan Vineyard HavenWhen bones of their own ancestors get plowed up do they look the other way ? Unmarked graves are all over the place up there . Money and greed are the root of all evil .
They cut off their nose to
MarieThey cut off their nose to spite their face. Claim to be stewards of the land and then proceed to bulldoze the land without an environmental study.
I don’t go to Aquinnah much. The trinket booths and pay toilets are an embarrassment and blight. The bingo hall will be a failure. The demographic of the bingo hall customer probably does not overlap with the current Vineyard visitors. As long as it is the tribe funding this mistake I don’t care. Destroy your environment and waste your money.
Just why here? New Bedford
Up island resident ChilmarkJust why here? New Bedford needs the stimulus we don’t. Sorry to tell you it will fail here. Gamblers are not going to loose an entire day of travel to loose money and you won’t get support from the Island. You will end up with an expensive storage building.
So be if they do. Give it 5
Skate Sharpener Smith HollowSo be if they do. Give it 5 years. that end of the island could use some self storage spaces.
Writing this from the fertile
Frank Brunelle Vineyard HavenWriting this from the fertile land and only deep water harbor on the Vineyard I do feel badly for our brothers who were forced to the remotest cliff parcel of land on the island so our white forebears could inhabit this territory. What they are doing is their right, and I may not agree with it on many levels, but it is their right. They are a sovereign body. As to the Martha's Vineyard Commission - the idea of a DRI on the tribe is ludicrous but also hypocritical in the extreme. The MVC has used the DRI as a weapon in many cases, and to take land for their own development of regional impact, the SUP while forbidding any DRI for the SUP project itself resulting in a 7 year battle, of which I have been an un-willing participant, recently knocked down by the Tisbury Board of Selectmen. This battle would never have been necessary had the Commission done the right thing and allowed a DRI on their own development, but the gusher of money ruled and a sad chapter in Vineyard history is on-going. The damage they have done to Tisbury is immense and they have no clue. To try to use the MVC that hypocritical organization that exudes apathy to Tisbury stakeholders and to cyclists who would be at tremendous risk would their plan be allowed, well that takes the cake.
This is clearly being done
Gregoire TisburyThis is clearly being done just because it can be. And given how crowded this place has become with wash a shores and rich powerful types with no real connection here, I get it.
But let’s be honest, there is no market for slots in Aquinnah. It’d be like putting an arcade on top of Mt. Washington. This will end up being a subsidized venture until the coin purse runs out, or people start being honest again.
I fondly remember living in
Jimmy Burgoff Pelham, MAI fondly remember living in Gay Head year round from 1979 - 1981. I can only imagine the havoc a limited use casino will cause.
1) Inebriated people traveling the windy and unfamiliar roads to & from Aquinnah.
2) "Shoebees" from New Bedford venturing out beyond the confines of the casino grounds ("Shoebees" a traveler with a shoebox filled with the days food allotment). And not spending money other than at the casino.
It's a dangerous walk to the Cliffs from there too.
3) Maybe it's a class thing, but I can't imagine Gamblers coming from off island will always appreciate the delicate eco-system they're immersing themselves into.
4) Once the novelty has worn off, I pray the maintenance of the place won't fall into neglect, similar to that of the Aquinnah herring run project.
5) What are the wishes of the Island only Wampanoag residence? The opinions of Mashpee and other off-island Wampanoag tribal members should be of a tertiary consideration.
a casino to spite the white
Cherokee chilmarka casino to spite the white man, is not just. simply because we, as tribal people, myself Cherokee, get treated unfairly or not equally, does not mean there is a definitive answer or solution. but jeez, with 2/3 of the tribe Not on the island, i simply can not relate there.
Class 11 gambling is very
Ken Edg.Class 11 gambling is very limited. It doesnt even include sports betting. I bet they will be talking to the governor about getting a class 111 license before this all over.
So sad to hear this. We have
D. Coffin Granby, CTSo sad to hear this. We have come to the Vineyard for over 40 years and have because of the natural beauty of this Island. We started in Chilmark but ended up in Aquinnah because of its quietness and beauty. Really, gambling in such a beautiful location?????The only savior is that the rising costs of getting to the Island on the Steamship might stop it from being a total disaster. How about they have a big bonfire party for gamblers to just throw their hard earned money in!
The Island was lost to non
Tim OBThe Island was lost to non indigenous peoples greed a long time ago. As offensive to my sensibilities as this is, how can you look around at the 10,000 square foot behemoths that are dark most of the year and say the Wampanoag can’t build this?
“Just because you can, doesn
Chilmark gal Chilmark“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.
Dare to be different. Dare to be standard bearers. Do something remarkable. Do something memorable. Share your forebears culture with us all. Make the cleared land and example of life on the Vineyard in the early days and have visitors come to learn and respect the Wampanoags life and culture. It would be something the tribal members and we all could be proud of. I think you’d get wide support for something like that. Please consider it. And possibly be a part (financially) of a New Bedford casino....
Geez folks relax it's not
NickGeez folks relax it's not some gigantic twin Rivers casino. It's a little bingo hall for goodness sakes! Lol
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