Tribal Casino News Source:
http://www.freenewmexican.com
By SHANNON SHAW | The New Mexican
June 7, 2006
The 700-member Pueblo of Nambé is a step closer to becoming the 14th of New Mexico\'s 19 pueblos to operate a casino.
The tribe recently submitted an environmental assessment of the 30-acre trust property that will be the site of its estimated 150,000-square-foot casino and hotel.
In accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the pueblo has made public the results of the assessment to show the possible impacts of a new casino. The assessment was prepared by Marron & Associates, an Albuquerque-based firm, and is available for review at Santa Fe Public Library, Española Public Library and Nambé Pueblo offices until Monday.
According to a 1999 Pueblo of Nambé Needs Assessment Study, the pueblo needs an estimated $5.2 million per year to become self-sufficient. After failed attempts with retail and wholesale fuel sales and a renewable-energy contract, the pueblo concluded that non-gaming alternatives were not an option.
The assessment is part of the pueblo\'s application for a management and development contract with the Santa Fe-based company Gaming Entertainment LLC, a Full House Resorts subsidiary, for development, construction and operation of the casino and hotel. Because the pueblo is contracting with a non-Indian entity, the National Indian Gaming Commission must review and approve the assessment, and the pueblo must also submit the document to federal agencies, Santa Fe County and other interested parties for review.
If the study is approved and a management and development contract signed, Gaming Entertainment will provide funding to develop the casino and manage its day-to-day operations, according to the study. However, the pueblo\'s tribal government retains ultimate authority.
Environmental issues addressed in the study range from geology and topography, water use and noise pollution to land use and air quality. The pueblo\'s current water use is below its entitlement, and it predicts it will have enough water rights to supply the casino and hotel, which will be 15 miles north of Santa Fe on the east side of U.S. 84/285, south of Exit 177 on Buffalo Thunder Road.
The project includes a two-story casino, a three-story hotel, food and beverage facilities and a retail gift shop. The casino, as planned, will occupy 50,000 square feet and have 600 Class III slot machines, eight table games and a separate poker room with five tables. The food outlets include a 150-seat permanent buffet restaurant that will serve all meals, a 60-seat sit-down restaurant and a 40-seat snack bar.
The gift shop will feature American Indian arts and crafts. The hotel, approximately 100,000 square feet, will have 100 guest rooms. The complex\'s parking lot will accommodate 900 cars and 10 oversized vehicles.
No basic schematic of the building has been made public.
Contact Shannon Shaw
at 995-3837 or sshaw@sfnewmexican.com
|
|
World Casino Directory 
Gambling Forums 
