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SHULLSBURG -- Three years from now, people in southwest Wisconsin may be able to gamble at a state-of-the-art casino and stay at a destination resort in Shullsburg. Maybe.
Lac de Flambeau Tribal Council Committee members, Lafayette County Board members, members of the Shullsburg City Council, members of the design team and many residents gathered last night for an update on the casino/hotel.
The Class III gaming complex was introduced six years ago while Tommy Thompson was governor. The project was forced to the back burner when Scott McCallum took office and opposed off-reservation tribal projects.
Talks resumed when Gov. Jim Doyle was sworn in, but there was no direct negotiation for the Shullsburg project, only general discussions between Doyle and all tribes in Wisconsin.
Since feasibility of the project was studied in 2000, Carol Brown, attorney for the tribe, said political, legal and other issues have delayed the project. Because the project began six years ago, Brown said some feasibility studies and other information are no longer current and will need to be redone.
Brown said a lawsuit ruling unlimited terms on compacts as illegal slowed the project, because one of its scale can't be completed on a short-term compact. That same case also ruled extended gaming illegal. The latter portion of the ruling was overturned this year, allowing the project more diversity in its offerings.
Tribal member Vicki Doud said the project is 630,000 square feet, with 390 hotel rooms, two pools, a spa area, fitness center, video arcade and gift shop. Of the 630,000 square feet, 92,000 will be gaming space and convention center space. The complex also has plans for an 18-hole golf course, tennis stadium and other outdoor sports courts.
The tribe said the complex could be built in phases, rather than all at once.
"We will try to build the grandest facility that we can and we are allowed to do," Tribal Council CFO Rick Lindsley said.
Tribal Council members said the complex would employ 800 to 1,500 people.
Rick Rettler of Rettler Corporation, one company involved in planning the complex, said water features will be commonplace in the buildings because the Shullsburg Creek runs through the property.
While legality of the complex is no longer in question and plans have been created, the project is still at least three years away from being a reality.
Dee Mayo, vice president of the Tribal Council, said the next step involves more community involvement.
"We're looking for more letters of support from the public to federal, state and local officials," she said.
In the near future, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Midwest Regional Office will hold a public comment period in Shullsburg to gauge the public's opinions and concerns about the project.
The tribe is required to hold sessions for municipalities within a 25-mile radius, but plans to do so within a 50-mile radius, including some in Illinois and Iowa municipalities.
Mayo explained that any verbal input at the meeting and any written input will be compiled and used to identify key issues and for an evaluation for an environmental impact statement from the Bureau.
Residents addressed some of the issues and concerns on Wednesday.
One resident asked what would happen if the casino failed. Brown said if the project fails, the tribe has committed to working with the city to find a different solution.
"This is not something that we are entering into lightly. We believe it will be successful," Shullsburg mayor Lance McNaughton said. "We need to take chances, and I think this is a smart chance for us to take."
A question arose about the possible traffic and noise implications from the complex. Rick Zahn, engineer for Rettler Corporation, explained that a traffic impact analysis will be required by the state to address that concern.
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