WEST SRPINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is awarding West Springfield $132,900 through its Community Mitigation Fund, supporting public safety throughout the town.
The Community Mitigation Fund supports communities and governmental entities in offsetting impact costs related to the construction and operation of gaming facilities.
The fund has granted around $79.5 million since 2015 toward advancing needs in transportation, community planning, workforce development and public safety initiatives for municipalities and government entities located in the vicinity of casinos.
West Springfield has received $432,700 from the Community Mitigation Fund since fiscal year 2025 across six different areas of support for public-safety. Funding will be used for eligible FY27 costs, incurred between July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
The grant will support personnel costs surrounding West Springfield’s public-safety response to impacts and increased calls for service since the opening of MGM Springfield, which West Springfield Chief Finance Officer and Municipal Grant Manager Sharon Wilcox identified on the grant application.
Funding will go toward additional staffing in the West Springfield Police Department, Fire and EMS Department and emergency dispatch operations. The award will also offset salary-related costs for eight firefighter and EMS personnel, four police patrol officers and three dispatchers.
The town’s public safety personnel has increased since the casino’s opening between the FY17 and FY26 budgets. The Fire Department staffing has increased to 56 from 48, patrol officers in the Police Department have increased to 71 from 60 and dispatchers have increased to eight from five.
A press release states that the award will help “reduce, though not eliminate, the local operating-budget burden associated with maintaining these necessary service levels.”
Funding can also go toward other uses in the public safety category, with the town’s application noting increased traffic can contribute to congestion, crashes and conflicts between vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The release also stated that “casino and hospitality-related business can create added law-enforcement and emergency-service demands, including pressures related to certain criminal activity.”
“Maintaining strong police, fire, EMS and dispatch staffing is essential to protecting the safety and quality of life of our residents, businesses and visitors,” Mayor William Reichelt said in the release. “We are grateful for this Community Mitigation fund award, which will help West Springfield continue meeting the increased public-safety demands experienced in our community.”
West Springfield has also prioritized public safety with its new Central Dispatch Center. The center links 911 calls for all emergency departments under the same roof instead of separate facilities, improving response times with easier coordination between the police, fire and EMS units.
