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November 17, 2011 in City
Spokane Tribe lambastes critics of proposed casino
Opposition blamed on Kalispels, groups
The Spokane Tribe shot back Wednesday at critics of the casino it wants to build at Airway Heights.
Mike Spencer, vice chairman of the tribal council, said he thinks most of the opposition is from people with economic ties to the Kalispel Tribe’s nearby Northern Quest Resort and Casino.
If anyone has a right to a Spokane-area casino, it’s the Spokane Tribe, Spencer said in a press conference at the tribe’s Spoko Fuel truck stop.
The truck stop is on some 300 acres “right in the middle of our ancestral territory” where the tribe plans to add a casino, a big box store, six smaller stores and several restaurants, Spencer said.
He said the primary opponent is the Kalispel Tribe, whose reservation is in Pend Oreille County.
“This is not their ancestral territory,” Spencer said.
He said the Spokane Tribe, whose reservation is in Stevens County, didn’t object to the Kalispels’ casino.
However, he said, “we made it perfectly clear to them and to the federal government” that the Spokanes would seek their own Airway Heights casino if the Kalispel casino significantly affected tribal revenue.
The Spokane Tribe’s casino revenue plummeted within two years of the Northern Quest Casino’s opening in December 2000, Spencer said, from $30 million to $35 million a year to less than $5 million.
He said Spokane tribal leaders had to slash spending on youths, elders and health care, as well as a program of buying back reservation land from nontribal owners.
Greater Spokane Incorporated also drew fire at the press conference, at which a foot-tall stack of support letters was displayed.
“It is absolutely disingenuous of Greater Spokane to oppose this project at this time when these desperately needed jobs are available,” said Deven Johnson, president of the Eastern Washington-Northern Idaho Building and Construction Trades Council.
“We’re trying to create more than 3,000 jobs here, yet we seem to be continually held back,” Spencer said.
Greater Spokane and other organizations oppose the casino because of its proximity to Fairchild Air Force Base. They fear encroachment could weaken Fairchild’s position in another round of military base closures expected in 2014.
Spencer said a Nov. 3 ruling by the Federal Aviation Administration shows the casino wouldn’t interfere with navigation at Fairchild or nearby Spokane International Airport.
He said the casino site was chosen based on price, but he doesn’t think a site farther from the air base would have prevented criticism.
“I firmly believe that the Kalispels would have opposed us building anywhere in a 20- to 25-mile radius of their casino,” Spencer said.
A Kalispel tribal spokeswoman wasn’t prepared to comment Wednesday.
The Kalispel Tribe and Fairchild officials so far have taken no formal position on the Spokane Tribe’s request for federal approval to build an off-reservation casino. Both have said they want to review an environmental impact study before commenting.
Spencer said tribal Chairman Greg Abrahamson was in Washington, D.C., Wednesday to urge Bureau of Indian Affairs officials to release an environmental study for 45 days of public review.
Tribal officials hope the study will be published in the Federal Register within two or three weeks, in keeping with a timetable laid out by the BIA’s Portland office, Spencer said.
The tribe may be required to mitigate concerns, and there is no deadline for a decision. If federal approval is granted, “then we’re at the mercy of the governor,” Spencer said. He said he hopes that will happen before Gov. Chris Gregoire leaves office.
Construction couldn’t realistically start in less than 10 months, Spencer said.
The tribe has an agreement with Warner Gaming in Las Vegas to arrange $160 million worth of financing for the project’s first phase, which Spencer said includes construction of the casino, a gift shop and at least five restaurants.
The second phase probably will focus on retail development, including a big box store and about a half-dozen smaller stores.
He said the tribe’s agreement with Warner Gaming includes management services in exchange for a share of profits, but federal law would require the tribe to have full control of the casino within five years.
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Notapatriot on November 17 at 5:03 a.m.
How about the tribes try making a living off of something other than people’s vices & destroying lives. That’s a novel idea.
jimvw2 on November 17 at 6:08 a.m.
How about all of us free market Libertarians butting out and letting the market determine if there’s a demand for another casino?
jimvw2 on November 17 at 6:15 a.m.
How about all of us free market Libertarians butting out and letting the market determine if there’s a demand for another casino?
It’s not all about the gambling, which is legal, by the way. I go to the casino often, but I don’t gamble. I take in a show or have a great dinner. The gaming room is just a noisy nuisance that makes the restaurant and show venues possible.
We could use the additional jobs as well. What the hell is GSI doing badmouthing this proposal? They should sit down, shut up and let the market decide if the Spokanes have it right.
CougarGold on November 17 at 8:51 a.m.
jimvw2 - This is a repost from a previous story regarding the gag order on the Commissioners pertaining to the Casino:
jimvw2 - There is much more here than meets the eye.
From the story:
“Casino supporters have said Fairchild is “neutral” about the proposal, but base officials said this week that they have not yet taken a position.
“We will be evaluating the environmental impact statement as it becomes available and (will) look closely at proposed development and future growth in conjunction with our current flight operations,” base officials said Wednesday.”
What Mager says is reaching a conclusion drawn from silence. However, the AF has not actually been silent on this as they provided seed funding and input into the Joint Land Use Study:
http://www.landusecompatibility.com/fairchild/overview.htm
In the study, Military Influence Area (MIA) 4 Land Use Overlay indicates a zone in which land use should be restricted. Within the JLUS recommendations, the following uses are considered unsuitable within MIA 4: Public or private schools, Hospitals, Convalescent facilities, Public Assembly facilities (theaters, stadiums, community centers, and similar facilities), Libraries, Hotels. The proposed casino/hotel project falls within MIA 4.
The Air Force has spoken on this issue. The zonal boundary that constitutes MIA 4 was drawn with Air Force funding and input. If we, as a community, choose not to listen and the base goes away at some point; or if we lose the KC46A tanker siting, or our missions are reduced, we have only ourselves to blame. The AF spoke but did anybody listen?
CougarGold on November 17 at 9:32 a.m.
“Spencer said a Nov. 3 ruling by the Federal Aviation Administration shows the casino wouldn’t interfere with navigation at Fairchild or nearby Spokane International Airport.”
I’ve read this report and it’s true, it states that flights won’t be interfered with by a 145’ high tower at that location. That’s the only thing the report is intended to review and the only thing it reports on. However, the AF concerns itself with noise abatement and crash potential as well. Two different analyses.
At the location the facility is intended, training flights (touch and go’s) currently are at about 600 to 1000’ off the deck and under full throttle. Once the hotel is there, the outdoor concerts, and other public assembly offerings, the concern will be noise complaints and crash potential. Just on the noise, you can likely imagine that there will be guests who will be displeased with the noisy aircraft overhead.
As the AF desires to be good neighbors and not draw complaints, the base would be more likely to fall to the next BRAC process which is expected by some to be in 2014. If we want to site the new KC46A air refueling tankers here, we need to provide a secure area around the base to not compromise their ability to be good neighbors. This, from my perspective is not about the casino per se’ or the feud between tribes or any of the other local political issues. This is about maintaining the sanctity of the base. If the Spokane’s wanted to build their casino a mile or two north of their currently selected site, I would be driving the welcome wagon. However, this is about a bad decision to select the current site and its proximity to the base. Once the EIS becomes available, I’m reasonably certain the AF will provide comments reflecting the very same concerns as they’ve already addressed in the Joint Land Use Study. This should sort itself out by the end of the year.
schleufer on November 17 at 10:52 a.m.
Notapatriot on November 17 at 5:03 a.m.
How about the tribes try making a living off of something other than people’s vices & destroying lives. That’s a novel idea.
ya how dare them surviving genocide and hundreds of years of opression and discrimination then pull something like this…
samvimes on November 17 at 1:19 p.m.
@notapatriot
They probably got those ideas from whiskey-selling Indian agents and the US Army, specialists in vice and destruction. If you don’t like the idea of a casino, don’t go to one.
D Statler on November 17 at 9:15 p.m.
How about relocating the Spokane tribes casino to Plantes Ferry where their ancestral ground is really located. Having the tribe and all the JOBS created by them closer to town would give the Spokane’s the edge they deserve over the Kalispell tribe. This would also relieve some of the burden on County Parks department. The Spokane Tribe could and would be great neighbors and partners for our river and valley. Time for our County Commissioners to look outside the box and offer up some free land to our native brothers. We don’t need another casino in Airway Heights!
D Statler on November 17 at 9:24 p.m.
BTW: The soccer complex at Plantes Ferry is unkept. Garbage is left for days after the tournaments.The contractor running the complex is making bank off our public lands.We might as well let the tribe have it. Imagine the natural area they would provide us. Access from trent and I-90 would be a breeze. Look at the much needed jobs.Time to make a big move County Commissioners! Make the offer and see what happens. :^)
CougarGold on November 18 at 9:58 a.m.
If interested, here is the FAA No Hazard Determination letter. Again, as I noted above, the NHD only deals with aircraft safety and isn’t nearly as comprehensive or complete in dealing with issues that concern the Air Force as the Joint Land Use Study is.
http://www.stepspokane.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/FAA-No-Hazard-Determination1.pdf
“This determination concerns the effect of this structure on the safe and efficient use of navigable airspace by aircraft and does not relieve the sponsor of compliance responsibilities relating to any law, ordinance, or regulation of any Federal, State, or local government body.”
The County, along with the cities of Airway Heights, Cheney, Medical Lake, and Spokane really need to complete the actions recommended through the JLUS to put this issue to bed. If we are to secure Fairchild’s future for our area, we need to provide them confidence that appropriate actions are taken to prevent base-killing encroachment around them. This is an important role of government and has mostly sat dormant since its completion in 2009. We need action on this if we’re to secure FAFB.
Cuzint on December 29 at 10:38 p.m.
Yes, this is a complicated issue. The different groups with their agendas can make the data say anything they want, and it looks like that is exactly what they are doing. The facts are very simple. The ancestral homeland of the Spokane Tribe, otherwise known as usual and accustomed areas, stretch from the present day reservation into the City of Spokane and surrounding area. Those who have commented otherwise are wrong, period! To those who don’t like or believe that, go do some research and learn the facts before making false statements. Given that fact and all the comments about “encroachment”, I guess the question should be asked about who is encroaching against…whom? Know what I mean?