Confusion over two new casino proposals from Sands Kansas in Wyandotte County continued to be expressed by residents at the Wyandotte County legislative delegation’s public forum on Thursday.
Members of the delegation said information about the two new proposals is confidential at the state level.
Kansas Rep. Margaret Long said because of that, there was nothing members could say when the subject was brought up.
“At this time, we really don’t have anything to say,” she said.
Georgia Howlett, a resident in the Piper neighborhood of Kansas City, Kan., expressed disappointment to delegation members over the Sands’ decision to bypass a local endorsement and submit two casino proposals directly to the state.
“There were those of us who invested in Wyandotte County before the Unified Government,” Howlett said.
Howlett, who spoke at the public forum for Kansas Sands held by the UG Planning Commission, said the company’s Leavenworth Road proposal would increase traffic problems in the area.
While Rep. Long said she doesn’t really support the initial location of the Sands’ proposal - which is in her district - she was still happy to get gaming legislation passed last year.
“Wherever I went, people said we wanted slots at The Woodlands and gaming,” she said. “We worked hard to pass the gaming bill. I was proud we passed the bill.”
After being passed by the legislature, local voters approved gaming with over 80 percent of the vote, saying yes to a destination casino and slots at The Woodlands.
Las Vegas Sands was denied by both the UG Planning Commission and the UG Board of Commissioners late last year. However, an amendment in the Kansas Lottery Commission’s policy allowed Sands to file two applications directly to the state before the end of the year deadline.
Officials from both the UG and Edwardsville - where the other Sands proposal is located - were caught off guard when news came of the applications.
“We thought we were done,” said Mike Taylor, public relations director for the Unified Government. “It threw us back into turmoil. We haven’t seen the proposal.”
Wyandotte County Delegation Chairman Tom Burroughs asked Taylor, who attended the event, to speak about the latest developments.
The deadline date for a local endorsement from the Unified Government or Edwardsville is March 28. |
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