 Sep 2009 | Gun Lake Casino breaks ground Sept. 17 The Gun Lake Tribe has announced a groundbreaking date for its planned Gun Lake Casino in Wayland Town-ship. After years of effort and legal battles, the tribe will construct an 83,000 square foot facility on a site off 129th Avenue, with a groundbreaking set for Thursday, Sept. 17. Tribal officials decided to go ahead now with a smaller project, rather than waiting to secure financing for the full, originally planned scope. John Shagonaby, chief executive officer of the tribe's economic development arm, said the project would go now. "We find ourselves in a down economy and an ever- changing market," Shagon-aby said. "You either wait, or go ahead with something a little smaller to expand when the market rebounds." Phase one of the casino is planned to cost $157 million. The tribe estimates the casino will create 600 direct jobs when it opens and 750 construction jobs during the planned 10- to 12-month construction. Shagonaby said the smaller scope would allow the Gun Lake Casino to open sooner, because building the full project would take 16 to 18 months. The original scope would have been 193,000 square feet. The casino will feature 1,200 slot machines, 36 table games, an entertainment lounge, a bar and a 300-seat restaurant. About 80 percent of the jobs, Richard J. St. Jean of tribal partner Station Casinos said, would likely be full-time positions. Tribal chairman D.K. Sprague that the jobs would benefit the entire community, not just members of the tribe. "We estimate that at most 50 of those will be tribal members," Sprague said. "The majority of the jobs will go to other people." The process of seeking workers won't really start yet, St. Jean said. "Six months prior to opening is when we'll really start the hiring process," St. Jean said. The casino, he said, would contact everyone who filled out an application earlier. The casino will have a new Web site for vendors up soon. "The tribe has been adamant about providing business to southwest Michigan businesses, who were members of supporting chambers (of commerce)," St. Jean said. Shagonaby said the facility will use an on-site water and sewer system, owned and operated by the tribe. Spokesman James Nye said that competition from the recently opened casinos in Battle Creek and New Buffalo wasn't a reason for going with the scaled-back Phase one. "They were taken into account, the fact that they opened recently had no bearing on the timeline," he said. "Since the land was taken into trust, it's been a constant process to groundbreaking." Going with two phases will allow the tribe to take on less debt for construction. "That will put the tribe into a better long-term position in the future," Nye said. "If market demand warrants, the tribe will certainly be able to go forward with the expansion." The construction will also try to emphasize environmental concerns. "We're trying to make sure very little of it ends up in the landfill," Shagonaby said. The project will reuse steel and other materials from the current Ampro Building on the site, as much as possible. Tribal officials are optimistic about the future of the project. "Even though we're smaller, we'll definitely strive to be the best," Shagonaby said. By Daniel Pepper Allegan County News September 9, 2009  |
