Put casino elsewhere

Let’s address some simple facts about a Spokane Indian Tribe casino and keeping Fairchild Air Force Base. The flight path is the route the plane takes when it is approaching the landing field. A high-population density parcel on the flight path will lend itself to a higher chance of a crash killing people on the ground.

Do you remember the B-52 crash 25 years ago? Crashed into an empty field. High-density parcels will be a negative decision criterion for an Air Force base alignment committee. The Spokane Tribe needs to look at other locations. Its proposed casino is going to increase the population density. Look at the FAFB pattern map.

The Spokane Tribe should buy the Ridpath Hotel or Playfair land and open the casino. Since the Kalispels opened the door for a non-reservation land casino, isn’t downtown more economically viable than out in Airway Heights? Our area is all ancestral hunting land. Why not make this a win-win and place the casino in another location and not have it in the flight path of FAFB traffic? Reducing one more negative decision criteria for the base alignment committee?

Chip Magnuson

Four Lakes