Construction to start on new Choctaw casino

DRY PRONG, La. (AP) – The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians has been working toward opening a casino for more than a decade.

B. Cheryl Smith, the tribal chief of the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, tells The Town Talk plans for the casino are finalized, and tribal leaders hope a casino will be open by the end of this year in the Creola community in south Grant Parish.

Smith said the tribe secured all of its federal approvals and signed loan documents last week, allowing the tribe to move forward with its plans.

“It is now official,” Smith said. “The tribe is going to build a casino in Grant Parish. We are elated to be able to provide job opportunities and economic growth to Central Louisiana, especially in Grant. We have looked forward to the day when we could share the benefits of the facility with our neighbors.”

Julie Wilkerson, an attorney for the tribe, said the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians would build a Class II casino on a piece of land off U.S. Highway 167. She said construction is expected to begin next week.

A Class II casino can have poker tables and gaming machines, but not gambling tables such as roulette or blackjack that are featured at Class III casinos in Marksville and Kinder.

“The bells and whistles are like Class III,” said Wilkerson, adding that many of the machine games are the same as found in other casinos.

Smith said the casino will be “full service” -- including a buffet and sports bar -- and will employ approximately 270 people. Many of those likely will be members of the tribe, who supported building a casino in the Creola area.

The casino, tribal leaders hope, will generate enough revenue to enable the tribe to provide much-needed governmental, health, educational and cultural services for the tribal members. The tribe receives some federal money, but not as much as other tribes that are older and bigger.

Bo Vets of Colfax, the president of the Grant Parish Chamber of Commerce, believes the casino can have a positive impact on the parish.

“It’s probably going to benefit the parish in terms of taxes and getting jobs in the parish,” said Vets, adding his thoughts were his own personal opinions and not an endorsement by the Chamber of Commerce. “It may even attract some people to move into the parish. I can see where it’s beneficial for the parish.”

Vets, who said he doesn’t gamble but also doesn’t believe he should push his beliefs on other people, said the new casino “could have a tremendous impact for Grant Parish.”

“It definitely will attract more people to the area, whether they move to the area or just come to visit,” he said. “Those people will be spending money in Grant Parish, and that’s going to help out local businesses. Those businesses might even be able to hire more people. It could have a lot of potential benefits for the parish.”

Mike Wahlder, a Creola businessman who more than a decade ago donated to the tribe the 40-plus acres of land that will be the home of the casino, said he was happy to see progress with the casino “finally moving along” and that he’s optimistic it can boost the area’s economy.

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Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, http://www.thetowntalk.com