Work to begin on casino

The business arm of the Colville Confederated Tribes will break ground Monday on a 58,000-square-foot casino on reservation land near Omak, Wash.

The $24 million project, expected to be completed by next summer, will be the largest of the tribes’ three casinos, including the Coulee Dam Casino and the Mill Bay Casino near Chelan, said Michelle Campobasso, a spokeswoman for Colville Tribal Enterprises Corp. The tribes’ existing Omak facility, the Okanogan Bingo Casino, will be remodeled to focus primarily on bingo.

“This is something our people have been waiting for,” Campobasso said. “It will mean a lot for the Omak community.”

Tribal Business Council Chairman Michael Marchand and Colville Tribal Enterprises board Chairman John MacClain will speak at Monday’s ceremony.

The new casino, which will house 400 to 500 gaming machines, is expected to generate revenue of $20 million annually and will employ 250 people with an estimated payroll of $4 million.

The casino will include two restaurants and a lounge with a small stage. The facility, which doesn’t have a name yet, also will accommodate a gift shop, players club, poker room and table games.

The project is designed by Womer and Associates Inc. of Spokane. The Colville Tribal Enterprises Corp. construction company will coordinate construction and Woodstone Builders Inc., of Bloomington, Minn., will oversee preconstruction services, Campobasso said.