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FHBC unveils plans for two new casinos
By Lori Edmo-Suppah
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Shoshone-Bannock tribal members had the opportunity to view conceptual drawings on the new satellite casino proposed for Gibson and expansion of the Fort Hall Casino Saturday, April 26 during a “meet and greet” with KKE architect Mohammed Lawal.
Lawal explained the expansion of the Fort Hall Casino first. The $80 to $90 million facility will include 300,000 square feet, 1,200 to 1,300 gaming machines, an event center, 1,500-space parking lot, bus parking and room for future expansion.
It will also have a 300-seat bingo hall, meeting center, a buffet, fine dining restaurant, sports bar, and day care (limited to two and half hours.) No alcohol will be served. The 200-room hotel is five stories and will have space for retail.
The second phase of the project will include a water park and golf course. He added the casino would be family and environmentally friendly, as one won’t have to walk through the casino to reach the hotel or other venues. It will have a state of the art mechanical system that will improve the indoor air quality with minimal smoke. “It’s a neat system,” Lawal said. There will also be a non-smoking section.
The existing casino will stay in operation while the new one is being built. The Tribes are currently seeking financing from financial firms and have narrowed the selection to five firms. The architect said they’re anticipating breaking ground this fall, despite Jeanette Wolfley, tribal attorney saying previously it could be two years.
Satellite casino The satellite casino in Gibson next to the existing Smoke House will have a convenience store, modern truck stop, 100 gaming machines, parking for 50 trucks and 100 cars. The estimated cost is $3.5 to $5 million. Ground breaking is May 15 and it will open in the fall of this year. Funds to pay for the facility are from the Tribes economic development funds derived from casino revenues.
Nancy Eschief Murillo asked when the tribal membership would have the opportunity to approve the projects?
Fort Hall Business Council Chairman Alonzo Coby said there’s been discussion for five or six years, council after council, and they didn’t take initiative to get things done so they took it upon themselves to get things done. It’s why they’re having meetings today.
She also questioned how much money is in the economic development fund. FHBC Treasurer Richard John Kutch Sr. said there’s enough money to pay for the satellite casino. They used $5 million for “Ellis Las Vegas” and he believes there’s $9 million remaining.
Coby said the reason for the location of the satellite casino is because the “little” smoke shop makes two to three times more money than the other enterprises. He added it would help out the Gibson community.
Fred Auck questioned whether there is manpower to fill the jobs and work ethic. He said the same people are being trained over and over again. It’s nice but is the Tribes ready for it? As a patron he sees a lot of discrepancies and inconsistencies. He also questioned whether the existing lagoon could accommodate the expansion.
Coby responded yes there is a turnover and it may be the Tribes have to open employment to non-Indians. As far as the north end casino, a feasibility study was done.
Lawal said the Tribes are procuring travel studies to understand the interchanges near both of the facilities. Road improvements will be required and traffic signals will be required at the Fort Hall Casino expansion.
Pat Patterson questioned who would be doing employee training?
Lawal said the Tribes would have to identify companies to do the hospitality training, as it would be ongoing. There will be positions for all ages.
Tina Mejia said there needs to be better management and commented on the hospitality.
Sherwin Racehorse asked how much the architects are being paid and from the drawings, it appears to be flat. The other Enterprises are on a hill. Wolfley said a lot of departments from the Tribes would be involved. The water department will determine the water pressure and whether larger sewer lines are needed.
The architect said the site is not flat as there will be significant grading and the topography will be changed. It will be handicapped accessible. There will also be proper surveying and will be significant change.
FHBC Vice Chairman LeeJuan Tyler said the general membership has been informed for years and years. There will be training and they are in the process of hiring a CFO May 6 and 7. They will have experts on board. Cecil Broncho questioned Ellis Gaming consulting contract and what they’re doing now?
Coby said they give bi weekly reports and he doesn’t get involved in operations. Interim Fort Hall Casino manager Lance Edmo said Keith Dollar has been meeting with department managers and they’ve been given deadlines. The lobby has been cleaned; all of the pop machines were taken out. He said if things aren’t done it falls back on him. They’re taking the machines out that aren’t performing well, “It’s awesome, we’re moving forward in the right direction.”
Coby said the machines in the facility weren’t set right. The council has seen improvement and if there isn’t proper management in place, the place will go down hill. “I may not be liked at times,” he continued. “If you can’t stand up for the decisions you make, then you shouldn’t be up here.” “I know there are people out there criticizing.” Coby said the numbers have improved since Lance has been up there but what bothers him is all the rumors the Tribes are broke. “I’m not lying, we’re not broke.”
Cecil Broncho asked if the restaurant consultant is being paid an additional $55,000?
Lance Edmo said no, “We’re under the umbrella of Ellis, we’re deficient in certain areas, we’re streamlining, bringing in specialists in each department.”
Auck asked who would be doing the construction because lately all of the projects have been subbed out to non-Indian operations. He said the non Indians are creating fronts and robbing tribal members of jobs.
Coby said a Request for Proposals was done and they are following the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance. They’re not saying Tribal Construction can’t handle the job; they’re not able to get bonding on the projects. There are a lot of rules and regulations to follow. “We as tribal leaders are responsible for the finances on the Tribe. It’s going to be a lot of work and Tribal Construction will be involved in it.”
Barbara Neaman said the dollars need to remain on the reservation and questioned the payment to Ellis and how long the Tribes will be paying them?
council member,
Pete Broncho said the investment is in the tribal members and the way he looks at it, it’s for the betterment of the casino.
Lance Edmo said it’s really showing good progress and the Ellis initiative has opened his eyes. “Nobody up there is born a manager and over the years you have to learn stuff.” He learned how to read a slot report from Mr. Dollar. He said they have to keep managers accountable for their positions.
Louise Dixey said she’s glad to finally see the recommendations being looked at and the revenues were increasing every year 10 percent. She said the Tribes need to invest in themselves not send the money to Las Vegas. They had people in the Grill with culinary arts certificates and she don’t appreciate some white guy dropping the wages. She said the reason there was a fire in the grill is because there were not enough grease tracks installed and Intermountain Gas didn’t install the grills properly. She said the $55,000 should be in a fund for gaming employees to improve their education. When a consultant is hired there should be measurable goals. She said their revenue charts don’t show the expenses paid.
Tyler said in the past year they’ve made more money than they ever did. He said they don’t need the Marketing Factory. He said Ellis is only there for a short time. “We’ve got to get something going and have to get over hating one another.”
Darrell Shay said he’s a member of the casino committee and the architects are a nationally renowned firm. There’s no question they can do it and the design has to fit Idaho. He said the planning department recommended the feasibility study to substantiate the idea and there’s been five or six councils that dealt with it but it just so happened this council pushed for it. He said the only thing he doesn’t agree with is the Ellis Las Vegas thing. “I don’t’ agree we did it the right way,” as there should have been a national search. Stella Miller said she’s worked 12 years for the casino and has gone through various training. She was told when first hired when one walks in the door, it’s like one’s home and it’s your responsibility to treat people good. She’s learned to have consideration for co workers and in the beginning everyone worked together cleaning machines and bathrooms. But it’s slipped with management changes over the years. She added the morale is low and the incentives are gone. People who work hard don’t get time off. She believes the Tribes don’t need thousands of dollars to spend on consultants; the managers need to make sure they’re all working together.
Devon Boyer said the tribal members should have been told on the details earlier and he questioned what Ellis has done for the Tribes?
Kutch said if Ellis consultants don’t make money, then the FHBC says goodbye. Pete Broncho explained there are two parts what Keith Dollar is doing is consulting and the other is Ellis Las Vegas.
Lawal noted that he would be scheduling meetings with tribal members to go over the interior design.
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