Cowlitz Casino Resort

[Chief]

http://www.cowlitzcasino.com/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/SeniorChieftain/porte_cochere_w_horses_707.jpg


The Cowlitz Tribe is planning to create and develop our initial reservation on 152 acres at La Center's I-5 interchange in Clark County, Washington. These plans continue to evolve as we work to understand how best to benefit the Tribal members while providing a recreational amenity for the people of the region.

Important facts you should know about the casino resort:

* It will bring to Clark County a new clean industry with 3,000 new living-wage jobs with full benefits including medical.

* It will pay for government services (like police and fire), reimburse local governments in lieu of taxes, and fund educational projects throughout Clark County.

* It will pay to improve roads and the I-5 interchange and mitigate other environmental impacts.

* It will reverse the stream of recreational dollars that now flows from Clark County into Oregon.

* It will benefit the people of the Cowlitz Tribe by funding scholarships for its young people and providing health care and housing for its elders.

* It will present new opportunities for top-quality entertainment, fine dining, and exciting shopping.

We look forward to working with you to make the new casino and resort something we can all be proud of.


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[Waterbuffalo]

Chief, I've seen good and bad situations up in Bellingham with Tribal Casinoes..

I'm not for or against this tribal casino because I do think it brings money in that others one places don't..

AND I remember some thing that Betty Sue said in her state of the County comments a week or so ago back. She said there was seven other unrecognized tribes in this area. Most likely, the Chinook would be the ones who would benefit from a tribal casino or business as they were one of the tribes that has most of City of Vancouver lands that the city now stands on.

If the Chinook or any other tribal band demand land, there might be some thing a lot worse than go on than this thing..

[Chief]

I think a lot of the opposition to this comes from 2 sources.

1. Identity Clark County, because they do not want the competition to their interests in developing Dwontown Vancouver.

2. The Card-Room owners and operators up in La Center because the casino would effectively put them all out of business.

I support the casino, because I think we need the jobs on this side of the river, and because I think the County can tap the operators for significant money for infrastructure.

I've thought about it for a long time and I'm off the fence.

[Waterbuffalo]

#3 Added..

The Casino operations in oregon that are also fighting tooth and nail to keep this from happening.

"I support the casino, because I think we need the jobs on this side of the river, and because I think the County can tap the operators for significant money for infrastructure.

I've thought about it for a long time and I'm off the fence."

I will support this motion IF the CC Commissioners can actually get what your saying.. But I agree with you heartily, I'm going to sit on the fence and watch this one. Though I do want to see more jobs on this side of the river.

[mojoesmom]

This MEGA casino will change the face of Clark County as we know it...do we want to be known as a gambling mecca community? I don't...I like the quality of life that we have now. Adding traffic impacts to I-5, adding the impacts on the schools, housing and infrastructure will be unbearable. More later...dinner and kids call...family first!

[Chief]

I think there are opportunities to allow the Cowlitz to "mitigate" the casino in a number of ways, to make sure that they don't impact the County in the ways you describe.

As far as being a mecca for gambling, isn't La Center that already with the existing Card Rooms??

I like the idea that this facility will provide a significant number of well paying jobs and will contribute significant cast to the County coffers.

[Waterbuffalo]

"This MEGA casino will change the face of Clark County as we know it...do we want to be known as a gambling mecca community? I don't...I like the quality of life that we have now. Adding traffic impacts to I-5, adding the impacts on the schools, housing and infrastructure will be unbearable. More later...dinner and kids call...family first!"

Sorry MoJoesMa, Clark County changed in the 1980s and will continue to have more infill and this casino where we like it or not.

I'll take chief's comments with this, I think we can mitigate the growth but to expect that its not coming is ignorant, criminal and IMHO, just plain stupid.

I've lived in Vancouver since 1987 on and off. Some of our regular readers and posters have lived here far longer than I and can tell you that whether we like it or not, this county is changing, if its now or later, we're going to get things whether we like it or not.

To expect that the Cowlitz won't fight for this Casino NOT to be put is also near my same comments above. But I'll add to Chief's comments, I hope and pray the Clark County commissioners DUE take as many concessions as they can get for that RIGHT to build it here.

[Waterbuffalo]

Here is casino #2... Thanks to the local paper for posting this in their national news..

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/02/02152008_Gorge-casino-plan-to-get-public-hearings.cfm


Gorge casino plan to get public hearings

On the Web
BIA casino project Web site: www.gorgecasinoEIS.com

Friday, February 15, 2008
By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal agency has scheduled five hearings next month on a proposal by an Oregon tribe to build a Las Vegas-style casino in the Columbia River Gorge.

Four hearings will be held in Oregon — in Warm Springs, Cascade Locks, Portland and Hood River — and one in Stevenson, Wash., officials said Friday. The hearings will be held from March 3 through March 17, and written comments will be accepted through May 15.

The announcement from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs keeps alive the long-standing proposal by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The tribal government wants to build a $389 million resort and casino in Cascade Locks, about 40 miles east of Portland. Plans have been in limbo for more than a year, awaiting action from the Interior Department.

Supporters cheered the announcement of the hearings, which comes a month after federal officials rejected nearly two dozen proposals for off-reservation casinos — including three in Washington state and one other in Oregon.

In rejecting 22 of 30 off-reservation proposals, the Interior Department said for the first time it will study commute times as it considers whether to approve new off-reservation casinos.

If a casino “is not within a commutable distance of the reservation” many tribal members would have difficulty getting a job or would be forced to move off the reservation to work there, said Carl Artman, assistant Interior secretary for Indian affairs. Artman oversees the BIA. His Jan 3 memo was widely considered as a tightening of federal guidelines for off-reservation casinos.

Officials also will give greater weight to concerns raised by state and local governments, Artman said.

Opponents of the Warm Springs proposal, which include the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, say the new guidelines dim chances for the Cascade Locks casino.

They say the town Warm Springs, where many tribal members live, is beyond practical commuting distance from Cascade Locks, about 100 miles.

Len Bergstein, a Portland lobbyist and spokesman for the Warm Springs tribes on casino issues, downplayed the commuting problem. The distance between the reservation border in central Oregon and Cascade Locks is less than 40 miles, Bergstein said. Tribal members commute much farther than that for jobs and school, he said.

Hearings are set for March 3 at the Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino in Warm Springs, Ore.; March 10 at the Port of Cascade Locks, Ore.; March 12 at Rock Creek Center in Stevenson, Wash.; March 13 at the Doubletree Hotel in Portland, and March 17 at Hood River Middle School in Hood River, Ore.

Ultimately, the project faces a decision from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a Republican who opposed off-reservation casinos when he was governor of Idaho.

The casino has the support of Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, who signed a compact with the Warm Springs tribe to create it.

The actions taken Friday are a step to meet the requirements of the Interior Department for its approval of the compact. The tribe wants to acquire 25 acres of land, which would become federal property held in trust for the tribe’s use for the casino, and it wants a new Interstate 84 interchange. Federal law requires an assessment of the environmental impact of both actions.

[Waterbuffalo]

Wonder how many more Casino's Vancouver is going to enjoy? Wonder if the Stevenson or that area needs one...

[Chief]

They hold Gambling Night events all the time at the Hilton, as it's a popular way to raise money for different causes and such. This year my wife's office had their party in downtown Portland, and included a gambling suite as part of the fun. They were using phoney money to get chips with and I dicovered that my wife is actually pretty good at Blackjack; so maybe I have a personal interest in this as well...

Heading up to La Center sounds better than hitting 26 to the coast and Lincoln City...

[karma]

Where do these folks come from if they think we have the good life here in Clark Count?
I favor the Casino and don't think it will make us the gambling area of the nation, she sure didn't know what was down town for years does she?

[Waterbuffalo]

As far as I'm concerned, I just wanted to make note of other tribes in the Metro or close proximity are interested in bringing Portland folks out for a nice, good time, maybe a good show.

I'll also note, that I'm going to officially and privately say I'm a fence sitter with some concerns of course. But Chief's concerns are similar to my own.

[karma]

Clark County is going to need the money once the City of Vancouver takes it's urban growth boundaries so get off the fence. They let all the other development in without addressing a lot of other issues so why not change for a casino?