Ho-Chunk plans for casino with up to 2,000 employees
Up to 2,000 permanent jobs, 500 construction jobs, a swath of spin-off development and somewhere between $150 million to $200 million in overall investment.
That's what members of the Ho-Chunk Nation said a proposed 70,000-square-foot casino could bring to Beloit. The facility would house upwards of 2,000 slots and 50 gaming tables, said former Ho-Chunk Vice President Dan Brown, as well as a 300-room hotel, for starters.
The complex's design would be sleek and modern, they promised.
Brown and Nation President Jon Greendeer presented the plans Tuesday evening alongside members of Beloit city management in the Beloit Public Library's community room, which was filled beyond capacity with about 200 area residents occupying all available seats and spilling into a nearby hallway.
There was a palpable sense of excitement in the room, as Beloit has for more than a decade attempted to attract a gaming facility operator to the area. Statements made by Ho-Chunk leaders and City Manager Larry Arft indicated the groups are committed to making the project a reality.
The needs of the Ho-Chunk and the needs of Beloit are one in the same, Greendeer said. Both parties' intentions are aligned, he said.
"I think we have peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper," he said. "I think we have a match - a place that is looking for opportunity and a nation that has the potential to create that opportunity."
Greendeer and Brown were smooth and charismatic throughout their delivery, joking with Arft and others in attendance, while also demonstrating a serious business sense.
Though both sides seem excited at the project's potential, they also acknowledged the long road ahead. Greendeer, who was just elected Nation president this past summer, said he may not be around for an eventual ribbon cutting or shovel-to-ground ceremony.
"We do have an expectation of a long wait," he said, noting that the legislative process involves steps at the federal and state level. It could be two, three, five years, "no one knows," he said.
A gaming compact signed with the state of Wisconsin should give the Ho-Chunk a helping hand, as the tribe is guaranteed a fourth class III gaming facility. Currently, the tribe operates three, including the flagship casino in Baraboo near Wisconsin Dells.
Ultimately, the Wisconsin governor has a final say in whether a casino is granted approval. Brown said the tribe has previously met with Gov. Scott Walker, and that they left the meeting "feeling optimistic."
In a pre-event interview, Greendeer said he intended to get to the "meat and potatoes" of what's being proposed. The most concrete details came as he and Arft discussed the drafted intergovernmental agreement, which would see a baseline of 2 percent quarterly earning paid out to the city. Rock County will also receive payments. All three parties must sign the agreement.
The full intergovernmental agreement is available on the city's website, and will be available on the Beloit Daily News website.
Brown also addressed the issue of Beloit's long history of attempting to get a casino project off the ground. Former attempts with the St. Croix and Bad River bands of the Chippewa fell through, blocked by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
Beloit management asked the Ho-Chunk to work with the Chippewa, "but at the end of the day, it just didn't work," Brown said. "They were in New York, we were in L.A."
The three tribes "couldn't meet in Wisconsin," he said.
After initial presentations, the meeting was opened for a question-and-answer session. Several attendees asked about tax issues and what the city would need to provide in terms of infrastructure. One man asked about construction jobs and whether they would be given to union workers. Greendeer said they would.
Arft noted that there is no specific aspect of the agreement that guarantees the jobs will go to Beloit residents, but Greendeer noted that 70 percent of Ho-Chunk gaming jobs are given to non-tribal members.
Reported by: Beloit Daily News
