SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from June 2020 and discusses casinos and other businesses reopening for the summer after the initial COVID-19 shutdown.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has announced that an input hearing will be held on May 20 to gain insight into how the public feels about a potential casino being built in Shippensburg Township.
The hearing will be held at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on the campus of Shippensburg University and will begin at 4 p.m. It will "provide a forum for individuals to voice their support or opposition to the proposed casino and to permit those persons with an interest in the applicant’s proposal to learn more about the project."
The project has moved from its original proposed location, just off Exit 27 of Interstate 81, to the former Lowe’s Home Supply store in the Shippen Town Center, according to a press release.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, those who wish to attend will be able to do so in-person, or online. If you decide to attend in person, you will be required to wear a mask while on campus, both indoors and outdoors, and maintain social distancing whenever possible.
A previous public input hearing was held in March 2019. Individuals who submitted their thoughts during that hearing may submit their testimony from that hearing for consideration.
A website has been created where the public can learn about the proposed project, how to speak at the hearing, submit new written testimony, or resubmit previously provided oral or written testimony. This website can be accessed here.
The deadline for registration to speak, submit written testimony, or have testimony from the 2019 hearing resubmitted is noon on May 17. Information on how to submit comments through email, fax, or telephone can be found on the website.
A separate public hearing will be held at a to-be-determined date where Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc. representatives and the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel will make oral arguments on why the casino license should be granted.