August 17, 2015—Twin River Management Group announced their plans to hold several sessions with the residents of Tiverton a few months ago, and now the group has set the dates for these talks. The company is going to hold three public workshops during the month of September to ask residents their opinions on design and planning for the casino. Residents will be able to see the proposed architectural design, as well as comment on it. Residents will also be asked about environmental and traffic concerns, amenities they would like to see such as entertainment, hotel, and dining options. The Twin River’s Project Team will host the sessions.

The three sessions as scheduled are:

  • Tiverton High School, 100 North Brayton Ave: 7pm to 9pm on September 10
  • Country View Estates Clubhouse, 213 Hurst Lane: 2pm to 4pm on September 12
  • Tiverton High School: 6:30pm to 8pm on September 22

The Country View Estates Clubhouse location is tentative and may change as the date draws near. The chairman for Twin River’s board, John E. Taylor Jr., stated the company had 26 neighborhood meetings, where the board members spoke with 700 residents regarding the proposed casino. They have four additional meetings to hold before August ends.

Taylor stated, “We’ve learned a great deal about how residents feel about a gaming facility in their town as well as what their preferred size, scope…and feel of any facility we may consider. But we hope to learn more.”

Twin River will present their initial design and concept for the casino to the Tiverton Town Council in October. Back in April the management group announced it would pursue the idea of a new casino in Tiverton using 45 acres of land just off Route 81, which is 400 feet from the Massachusetts state line. The proposal is to obtain Massachusetts gamblers and also gain gamblers from Rhode Island.

Before the group can break ground, there are still several approvals needed including the Tiverton Town Council putting a petition to the General Assembly for the casino to be placed on a the ballot. The group also needs statewide and local approval. The officials for Twin River would like the question to be on the November 2016 ballot. There is also a necessity to transfer the licenses of the Newport Grand slots parlor to Tiverton Casino. The slots parlor would be closed upon the transfer of the license.