Connecticut lawmakers authorized in 2017 the state's two federally recognized tribes to build a joint satellite casino on non-reservation land in East Windsor in a bid to blunt competition from MGM Springfield in neighboring Massachusetts and keep gambling money in Connecticut. The Mohegan Tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe each already. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes announced they're hitting pause on the proposed Tribal Winds Casino in East Windsor. In a joint statement released by the two tribes, leaders attributed. Uncertainty over just how much demand there is for more casino gambling in the region has resulted in a cut in the amount of money being invested by Connecticut's two tribal gaming operators in.
Brian Hallenbeck After a Zoom meeting with state and local officials representing East Windsor, the chairmen of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes announced Wednesday they will continue delaying development of the state's third casino in the north-central Connecticut town, a project the state authorized in 2017.
'The past seven months have presented our organizations with unprecedented challenges, and for the foreseeable future, we need to focus our efforts on the successful operation of our existing facilities,' the chairmen, whose tribes are the respective owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, said in a joint statement. 'Every day brings new challenges and we're doing our best to navigate these waters because we know how important our businesses are to the surrounding communities, our employees and the state as a whole.'
Rodney Butler is the Mashantucket chairman; James Gessner Jr. chairs the Mohegans.
Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have struggled to withstand downturns in the casino business amid the coronavirus pandemic. Both shut down in mid-March, partially reopened June 1 and continue to operate at less than full capacity. Just last week, Foxwoods moved to temporarily close some hotel rooms and gaming areas and furlough 130 employees.
The tribes joined forces in 2015 to pursue a 'satellite' casino as a buffer against the competitive impact of MGM Springfield, a $1 billion resort casino that opened in 2018 in Massachusetts. MGM Resorts International succeeded in delaying the East Windsor project, dubbed Tribal Winds, through a series of maneuvers and lawsuits, including an active suit that contends the U.S. Department of the Interior erred in approving amendments to the tribes' gaming agreements with the state.
In their statement, the tribes said that while they couldn't have foreseen the pandemic's impact, 'we still believe Tribal Winds is a viable project that will come to fruition once markets improve and we've taken concrete steps toward restoring normal business operations.'
Participants in Wednesday's meeting included East Windsor's first selectman, Jason Bowsza, state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, state Rep. Carol Hall, R-Enfield, and state Rep.-elect Jaime Foster, D-Ellington.
'I want to thank the chairmen for being forthright and honest at every step of this project,' Anwar said. 'While the cause of this recent delay was beyond their control, their clear desire to move forward when conditions improve is evident.'
Hall said she has 'complete confidence' the tribes eventually will move forward with the East Windsor casino.
'We have been assured by the tribes that this is the number one project on their radar once they can get their home base operations in good stead,' she said.
It was not immediately clear what, if any, effect delaying the East Windsor project might have on gaming legislation during the upcoming session of the state legislature. The tribes have been in talks with Gov. Ned Lamont over their push to secure the legalization of sports betting and online gaming, and the governor this week indicated he wants to move forward with sports betting.
In the past, Lamont had urged the tribes to abandon the East Windsor project.
Leaky roofs first, then ‘mission critical' improvements in Hamden schools
Meghan Friedmann HAMDEN — The planned work at two of the town's elementary schools is a 'critical' investment, according to Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler.
A year after the district scrapped the construction of a new West Woods Elementary school building, the town is moving forward with a plan to put nearly $1.6 million toward roof and window projects there and at Dunbar Hill Elementary School.
Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler said the projects are 'critical to maintaining our community's investment in our school facilities.'
The Legislative Council unanimously approved an ordinance reallocating funds from old capital accounts to cover the project costs, which officials said would be supplemented by an additional $3.2 million from the state.
That brings the total project value to about $4.8 million.
Council members lauded the proposal during a public discussion.
'It really does seem like you guys have done a lot of work to get the most out of our money as humanly possible,' council President Michael McGarry said at the meeting, which was held over Zoom.
After the council asked the district to find ways to be more fiscally responsible and to determine the schools' highest priorities, the district put together a five-year capital plan that represents a 'scaling back' of previous goals but outlines 'mission critical' improvements, according to Julie Smith, Hamden Public Schools' director of arts, culture and special projects.
'Instead of stuff that are wants, we're doing stuff that are needs,' Smith said of the plan, which the Board of Education approved last month. 'I think [the board] had to make some really tough decisions and, you know, had to give up some projects that we would all have loved to have seen. But, again, if you can't use the buildings, then there's no point.'
The five-year plan has an expected expense of approximately $27.3 million, according to a document outlining it. The document, provided by the district, indicates Hamden would contribute some $18.4 million while receiving a bit less than $8.9 million from the state.
Chief Operating Officer Tom Ariola said unspent BOE bond proceeds will be reallocated to contribute to the town's portion.
In paying for the roof and window projects at West Woods and Dunbar Hill, for example, the district intends to draw funds from 47 capital accounts, according to the ordinance, which indicates funds for those projects were authorized in 2015 and 2017.
Originally appropriated for investments ranging from door repairs to new tables to roof and floor work, officials say the statuses and fates of those projects vary.
Alternative to a new school
While the Legislative Council in 2016 approved nearly $24.2 million for a new West Woods building, it lost state reimbursement late last year after missing the deadline to start construction.
The delay came as the expected cost of the new building proved to be nearly $8 million higher than what originally had been allocated.
While the district looked into changing the construction plan to lower the cost, that iteration of the plan 'didn't accomplish what [the district] wanted,' according to Ariola, who said 'they scaled it down so significantly' that the project wasn't worth it.
The town also would still have had to allocate additional funds for the scaled-down version of the project, and the state's deadline came and went before it did so.
While the decision to nix the project was made last year, the Legislative Council officially deauthorized the $24.2 million appropriation this week, an action Smith called a matter of 'housekeeping.'
New Casino In Ct
With a new school out of the picture, a new roof will make a major difference in addressing water intrusion at West Woods,according to Smith, who added that the current roof dates back to 1973.
Roof and window work at West Woods forms part of the BOE's five-year plan, she said, noting that repairs of the facility's plumbing system, conducted this year, already have alleviated water intrusion in the bathrooms.
'With a new roof and new windows the school should be in fantastic shape,' Smith said.
The district also has received around $1.1 million in state Alliance Grant funding that it hopes to use to replaceWest Woods' HVAC system, according to Ariola.
Two schools to benefit
The Legislative Council in 2019 rejected a request to allocate $17.6 million for like-new renovations and a new science and technology wing at Dunbar Hills Elementary.
Major construction projects at other schools did win funds. Those were part of the district's Reimagine, Restructure, Results Initiative, known as 3R, which is meant to address decreasing state education funding, declining enrollment and racial imbalance in Hamden schools.
At the same time, the district has had to 'scale down' its plans for West Woods and Dunbar Hill, said BOE member Walter Morton IV.
'We realized that there's not the financial ability to bond out and do larger project at West Woods and Dunbar,' he said.
But Morton, who also is chairman the board's finance committee, was happy the town will undertake the roof and window projects at the facilities.
'I'm satisfied,' he said. 'In light of the town's finances, it was looking pretty questionable whether we could get something done.'
Ariola aims to apply for the $2.7 million state reimbursement the projects by early January and begin construction over the summer, he said.
'We have to at least shoot for that right now.'
The town's contribution
To fund the town's $1.6 million contribution to the roof and window work,Hamden will not have to borrow any additional funds, Ariola said.
Instead, the town will draw unspent bond proceeds from nearly 50 BOE accounts.
Some of the projects for which those accounts were allocated will still be included in the five-year capital plan, while others no longer are priorities, according to Ariola.
Work at Church Street Elementary School and Shepherd Glen Elementary School, for example, may no longer be necessary with both facilities slated to close under the 3R plan, he said.
Other accounts were for projects that would have been over budget and thus needed reassessment, according to Ariola.
Officials did not discount the possibility of revisiting some projects down the road.
'It's really just a plan - some broad idea of where you want go,' Morton said of the five-year capital plan. 'It certainly can be changed based on the needs of a situation.'
After the allocation of the $1.6 million, the BOE would have around $1.3 million left in unspent bond funds, Ariola said, adding that he hopes the town will not have to go out for any additional bonding for the first two years of the capital plan.
From dirt lot to outdoor destination, Newtown leaders looking to transform downtown Sandy Hook lot
Rob Ryser NEWTOWN - Leaders have secured a $128,000 state grant to help convert a dirt lot into a destination for outdoor events in downtown Sandy Hook and encourage the crowds to return once the pandemic is conquered.
The grant, secured by the Newtown Economic Development Commission, fits into a larger partnership with a business group to transform a former 1-acre garage lot near the center of Sandy Hook Village into a trailhead and a park with a pavilion for special events.
'There has been a lot of good activity down there, and this will help to increase it,' said Christal Preszler, Newtown's deputy director for economic and community development. 'Post-COVID, this is going to be great.'
The state money, part of $11 million in capital improvement grants awarded in November by Gov. Ned Lamont to help Connecticut rebound from coronavirus shutdowns, follows a March offer by Newtown to lease the property for 99 years at a nominal fee to the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity, or SHOP.
SHOP, in turn, plans to raise $250,000 to build the pavilion.
'This grant gives us a good starting point and puts us in a good position to raise donations,' said Michael Burton, a developer and the president of SHOP. 'This is great news for Sandy Hook.'
The property at 7 Glen Road would also hook into the Heritage Trail in Sandy Hook, Preszler said.
The project, known as Heritage Park, is the latest development for Sandy Hook's business district, just west of the new Sandy Hook School.
Work is underway on blueprints for a multimillion-dollar memorial to the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. The 5-acre memorial site, off Riverside Drive, could go to voters for approval as soon as April.
In addition, construction is underway on Burton's 74-apartment complex on Washington Avenue, within walking distance to downtown Sandy Hook. The complex could begin renting as soon as February, he said.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont last week proposed a plan that would turn the aging XL Center in Hartford into a casino, hand it over to the state's two federally recognized tribes to operate gaming at the arena, and also bringing legal sports betting and iGaming to the state. The plan is contingent on the tribes' agreement to drop their proposal for a jointly-run casino in East Windsor.
According to the HartfordCourant, Lamont's proposal would allow the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, operators of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods respectively, to also open a casino in Bridgeport, advantageously located near the New York City and Long Island markets. MGM Resorts International had proposed a casino of its own in Bridgeport and has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Interior to block the plans.
According to MGM's suit, filed last week, changes by Interior to the compact between Connecticut and the tribes 'facilitate commercial, off-reservation gaming by the tribal joint venture anywhere in Connecticut and state legislators have recently proposed granting the joint venture an exclusive, no-bid license to operate a casino in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
'The amendments thus confer a statewide, perpetual competitive advantage on the joint venture,' MGM said.
An end to the East Windsor casino plan MGM's goal; its $1 billion casino in Springfield, right across the state line in Massachusetts, has failed to meet expectations for revenues and profits, and its plan to build a $675 million casino complex on Bridgeport's waterfront has never received approval by the legislature.
The tribes plan a gaming resort called Tribal Winds to be developed at the site of the former Showcase Cinemas in East Windsor, right across the state line from the MGM Springfield. Construction has not yet begun on the site.
Lamont's plan has been rejected so far by the tribes, who have spent nearly $20 million in planning, design and demolition costs on the $300 million East Windsor casino.
Ryan Drajewicz, Lamont's chief of staff, said the governor's 'primary objective' is to 'do what's best for the state of Connecticut, not the narrow interests that so often dominate this issue at the expense of the citizens of this state.'
In return for giving up East Windsor, officials said the tribes would also receive permission to run sports betting across the state and conduct iGaming.
East Windsor Ct Casino Update Map
The XL Center, built in in the mid-1970s, operated by the Capital Region Development Authority and Comcast Spectacor, reportedly needs hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs and renovations. If the tribes were to take over the XL Center, it would be upgraded and continue to host NCAA basketball and minor league hockey.
Mashantucket Pequot tribal Chairman Rodney Butler said, 'We're looking at a global solution—looking at sports betting, online gaming, extended liquor hours, casinos in Bridgeport, casinos in Hartford, and we're trying to wrap it all into one conversation. It's complicated.'
Lamont said he's motivated to develop a plan that can succeed, sans legal challenges. 'If this gets stuck in the legal muck like it's been for the last five years, we're not going to show any progress,' Lamont said. 'I wanted something that made sure we didn't get stuck in a legal ditch for the next five years. … I wanted something that allows us to get going with sports betting and internet gambling.'
'Those aren't things that I do or care particularly about, but that's part of the 21st century,' he continued. 'Our neighbors are beginning to do it, and I want to get going on it. I just worry that if we have a partial solution that leads to another round of litigation, we're not going to be any better off.'
Democratic Senator Cathy Osten, a staunch supporter of the tribes, said, 'I'll revive any [gambling] idea that lets us get off the dime, and I don't have to sit around and talk about gambling for the next three years—because in terms of my priorities, I'm not sure it's in the top 20.'
Osten pointed out that the tribes are the seventh- and eighth-largest employers in the state and account for more than 15,000 jobs. Their casinos attract millions of customers every year with more than half of them coming from out of state. Over the past 27 years, the tribes have contributed $8 billion to the state in a revenue-sharing agreement that allows them to operate slot machines.
The Connecticut Mirror cited Andrew Doba, a spokesman for MMCT, the joint venture of the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans. 'They are not willing to walk away from the Tribal Winds Casino in East Windsor, a project where they've invested nearly $20 million.'
Lamont seems stuck on the revitalization of the XL Center. 'I've got a priority to fix the XL Center and make that what it should be, as a center for this growing city of Hartford,' he recently said. 'And I've reached out to a number of different groups as we think about a public-private partnership, which is the best way for us to do it. It's not simply a matter of the taxpayers throwing money at the XL Center, but working with a strong partner so it could be as vibrant as it could be.'
A bill filed by Osten would grant the tribes exclusive rights to online sports betting in Connecticut, authorize them to jointly operate the casino in Bridgeport and open sports-betting 'entertainment zones' in Hartford and two other unspecified communities. The tribes countered that they already have exclusive rights to sports betting in Connecticut should it be legalized in any form here.
The tribes also say East Windsor would siphon customers from MGM Springfield, while a Bridgeport casino would cannibalize the tribes' own Connecticut patrons, pulling from its Fairfield County and metro-New York.
The General Assembly passed legislation in 2017 that authorizes MMCT to build the East Windsor casino. MGM sued before the bill passed, claiming it would violate the equal protection and commerce clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
While the Legislative Council in 2016 approved nearly $24.2 million for a new West Woods building, it lost state reimbursement late last year after missing the deadline to start construction.
The delay came as the expected cost of the new building proved to be nearly $8 million higher than what originally had been allocated.
While the district looked into changing the construction plan to lower the cost, that iteration of the plan 'didn't accomplish what [the district] wanted,' according to Ariola, who said 'they scaled it down so significantly' that the project wasn't worth it.
The town also would still have had to allocate additional funds for the scaled-down version of the project, and the state's deadline came and went before it did so.
While the decision to nix the project was made last year, the Legislative Council officially deauthorized the $24.2 million appropriation this week, an action Smith called a matter of 'housekeeping.'
New Casino In Ct
With a new school out of the picture, a new roof will make a major difference in addressing water intrusion at West Woods,according to Smith, who added that the current roof dates back to 1973.
Roof and window work at West Woods forms part of the BOE's five-year plan, she said, noting that repairs of the facility's plumbing system, conducted this year, already have alleviated water intrusion in the bathrooms.
'With a new roof and new windows the school should be in fantastic shape,' Smith said.
The district also has received around $1.1 million in state Alliance Grant funding that it hopes to use to replaceWest Woods' HVAC system, according to Ariola.
Two schools to benefit
The Legislative Council in 2019 rejected a request to allocate $17.6 million for like-new renovations and a new science and technology wing at Dunbar Hills Elementary.
Major construction projects at other schools did win funds. Those were part of the district's Reimagine, Restructure, Results Initiative, known as 3R, which is meant to address decreasing state education funding, declining enrollment and racial imbalance in Hamden schools.
At the same time, the district has had to 'scale down' its plans for West Woods and Dunbar Hill, said BOE member Walter Morton IV.
'We realized that there's not the financial ability to bond out and do larger project at West Woods and Dunbar,' he said.
But Morton, who also is chairman the board's finance committee, was happy the town will undertake the roof and window projects at the facilities.
'I'm satisfied,' he said. 'In light of the town's finances, it was looking pretty questionable whether we could get something done.'
Ariola aims to apply for the $2.7 million state reimbursement the projects by early January and begin construction over the summer, he said.
'We have to at least shoot for that right now.'
The town's contribution
To fund the town's $1.6 million contribution to the roof and window work,Hamden will not have to borrow any additional funds, Ariola said.
Instead, the town will draw unspent bond proceeds from nearly 50 BOE accounts.
Some of the projects for which those accounts were allocated will still be included in the five-year capital plan, while others no longer are priorities, according to Ariola.
Work at Church Street Elementary School and Shepherd Glen Elementary School, for example, may no longer be necessary with both facilities slated to close under the 3R plan, he said.
Other accounts were for projects that would have been over budget and thus needed reassessment, according to Ariola.
Officials did not discount the possibility of revisiting some projects down the road.
'It's really just a plan - some broad idea of where you want go,' Morton said of the five-year capital plan. 'It certainly can be changed based on the needs of a situation.'
After the allocation of the $1.6 million, the BOE would have around $1.3 million left in unspent bond funds, Ariola said, adding that he hopes the town will not have to go out for any additional bonding for the first two years of the capital plan.
From dirt lot to outdoor destination, Newtown leaders looking to transform downtown Sandy Hook lot
Rob Ryser NEWTOWN - Leaders have secured a $128,000 state grant to help convert a dirt lot into a destination for outdoor events in downtown Sandy Hook and encourage the crowds to return once the pandemic is conquered.
The grant, secured by the Newtown Economic Development Commission, fits into a larger partnership with a business group to transform a former 1-acre garage lot near the center of Sandy Hook Village into a trailhead and a park with a pavilion for special events.
'There has been a lot of good activity down there, and this will help to increase it,' said Christal Preszler, Newtown's deputy director for economic and community development. 'Post-COVID, this is going to be great.'
The state money, part of $11 million in capital improvement grants awarded in November by Gov. Ned Lamont to help Connecticut rebound from coronavirus shutdowns, follows a March offer by Newtown to lease the property for 99 years at a nominal fee to the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity, or SHOP.
SHOP, in turn, plans to raise $250,000 to build the pavilion.
'This grant gives us a good starting point and puts us in a good position to raise donations,' said Michael Burton, a developer and the president of SHOP. 'This is great news for Sandy Hook.'
The property at 7 Glen Road would also hook into the Heritage Trail in Sandy Hook, Preszler said.
The project, known as Heritage Park, is the latest development for Sandy Hook's business district, just west of the new Sandy Hook School.
Work is underway on blueprints for a multimillion-dollar memorial to the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. The 5-acre memorial site, off Riverside Drive, could go to voters for approval as soon as April.
In addition, construction is underway on Burton's 74-apartment complex on Washington Avenue, within walking distance to downtown Sandy Hook. The complex could begin renting as soon as February, he said.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont last week proposed a plan that would turn the aging XL Center in Hartford into a casino, hand it over to the state's two federally recognized tribes to operate gaming at the arena, and also bringing legal sports betting and iGaming to the state. The plan is contingent on the tribes' agreement to drop their proposal for a jointly-run casino in East Windsor.
According to the HartfordCourant, Lamont's proposal would allow the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes, operators of Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods respectively, to also open a casino in Bridgeport, advantageously located near the New York City and Long Island markets. MGM Resorts International had proposed a casino of its own in Bridgeport and has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Interior to block the plans.
According to MGM's suit, filed last week, changes by Interior to the compact between Connecticut and the tribes 'facilitate commercial, off-reservation gaming by the tribal joint venture anywhere in Connecticut and state legislators have recently proposed granting the joint venture an exclusive, no-bid license to operate a casino in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
'The amendments thus confer a statewide, perpetual competitive advantage on the joint venture,' MGM said.
An end to the East Windsor casino plan MGM's goal; its $1 billion casino in Springfield, right across the state line in Massachusetts, has failed to meet expectations for revenues and profits, and its plan to build a $675 million casino complex on Bridgeport's waterfront has never received approval by the legislature.
The tribes plan a gaming resort called Tribal Winds to be developed at the site of the former Showcase Cinemas in East Windsor, right across the state line from the MGM Springfield. Construction has not yet begun on the site.
Lamont's plan has been rejected so far by the tribes, who have spent nearly $20 million in planning, design and demolition costs on the $300 million East Windsor casino.
Ryan Drajewicz, Lamont's chief of staff, said the governor's 'primary objective' is to 'do what's best for the state of Connecticut, not the narrow interests that so often dominate this issue at the expense of the citizens of this state.'
In return for giving up East Windsor, officials said the tribes would also receive permission to run sports betting across the state and conduct iGaming.
East Windsor Ct Casino Update Map
The XL Center, built in in the mid-1970s, operated by the Capital Region Development Authority and Comcast Spectacor, reportedly needs hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs and renovations. If the tribes were to take over the XL Center, it would be upgraded and continue to host NCAA basketball and minor league hockey.
Mashantucket Pequot tribal Chairman Rodney Butler said, 'We're looking at a global solution—looking at sports betting, online gaming, extended liquor hours, casinos in Bridgeport, casinos in Hartford, and we're trying to wrap it all into one conversation. It's complicated.'
Lamont said he's motivated to develop a plan that can succeed, sans legal challenges. 'If this gets stuck in the legal muck like it's been for the last five years, we're not going to show any progress,' Lamont said. 'I wanted something that made sure we didn't get stuck in a legal ditch for the next five years. … I wanted something that allows us to get going with sports betting and internet gambling.'
'Those aren't things that I do or care particularly about, but that's part of the 21st century,' he continued. 'Our neighbors are beginning to do it, and I want to get going on it. I just worry that if we have a partial solution that leads to another round of litigation, we're not going to be any better off.'
Democratic Senator Cathy Osten, a staunch supporter of the tribes, said, 'I'll revive any [gambling] idea that lets us get off the dime, and I don't have to sit around and talk about gambling for the next three years—because in terms of my priorities, I'm not sure it's in the top 20.'
Osten pointed out that the tribes are the seventh- and eighth-largest employers in the state and account for more than 15,000 jobs. Their casinos attract millions of customers every year with more than half of them coming from out of state. Over the past 27 years, the tribes have contributed $8 billion to the state in a revenue-sharing agreement that allows them to operate slot machines.
The Connecticut Mirror cited Andrew Doba, a spokesman for MMCT, the joint venture of the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans. 'They are not willing to walk away from the Tribal Winds Casino in East Windsor, a project where they've invested nearly $20 million.'
Lamont seems stuck on the revitalization of the XL Center. 'I've got a priority to fix the XL Center and make that what it should be, as a center for this growing city of Hartford,' he recently said. 'And I've reached out to a number of different groups as we think about a public-private partnership, which is the best way for us to do it. It's not simply a matter of the taxpayers throwing money at the XL Center, but working with a strong partner so it could be as vibrant as it could be.'
A bill filed by Osten would grant the tribes exclusive rights to online sports betting in Connecticut, authorize them to jointly operate the casino in Bridgeport and open sports-betting 'entertainment zones' in Hartford and two other unspecified communities. The tribes countered that they already have exclusive rights to sports betting in Connecticut should it be legalized in any form here.
The tribes also say East Windsor would siphon customers from MGM Springfield, while a Bridgeport casino would cannibalize the tribes' own Connecticut patrons, pulling from its Fairfield County and metro-New York.
The General Assembly passed legislation in 2017 that authorizes MMCT to build the East Windsor casino. MGM sued before the bill passed, claiming it would violate the equal protection and commerce clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
East Windsor Ct Casino Update 2018
In another glitch, the tribes have yet to obtain financing for the $300 million project, and they still are fighting local zoning appeals that they say are financed by MGM. Both tribes have outstanding debts of $1.8 billion.
