|
Most of the abutters to the proposed movie studios in Hopkinton don’t seem too thrilled about the idea. We are speaking of residents in the nearby Lindhbrook condominiums and along Palmer Circle.
Some of the residents said they were concerned about their well water but we think it’s more than that –
it’s fear of the unknown. All they know about the project is what they read in the papers and we all know that newspapers can make mistakes.
Though we’ve heard reports of property owners being paid as much as $4,000 a quarter for the buying rights to their properties, most residents were taken by surprise with the studio announcement and want to know more.
We assume that knowledge will be forthcoming with public hearings, planning and zoning board meetings, and question and answer sessions in the near future.
Until then, we can only form an opinion based on what we know so far. And so far so good. How can anyone argue with a development that will add $100,000 million dollars to the tax base of Hopkinton? As one resident said, “Anything that will help lower taxes, which are ridiculous here.”
How can anyone argue with 500 union jobs over the two-year construction process, 2,200 production-related jobs, and 90 full-time facility jobs? All these jobs will also generate payroll taxes to the state of Rhode Island.
Now we know there are some questions about the owner of Pacifica Ventures Hal Katersky and his business dealings. Specifically we’ve heard that he defaulted on a multimillion-dollar lease on a failed technology start-up company in New Orleans and there are also reports that Katersky is in the midst of defending himself in a fraud lawsuit for misspending $1 million while managing a Hollywood studio.
But we will reserve judgement on all that for now. If a company is going to spend $80 million dollars on a facility, you can bet your bottom dollar they will do everything in their power to see it succeed.
And it’s certainly a better idea than a drag racing track.
We will await more details in the coming months and years, but until then the Rhode Island Studios sounds just like what Hopkinton has been looking for – clean, quiet, profitable development.
|
