Casino scores for economic heft, diplomacy

Business Journal Staff

Thunder Valley Casino might be seen as controversial by some. But there are compelling arguments for its being seen as the most important private-sector building completed in south Placer County this year.

High among those impacts is the hiring of 2,200 employees at a time when regional job growth is on the decline. With a payroll of $40 million a year, the workers could have considerable impact on the local economy. The workers, by the way, get $6 million worth of health and other benefits, and most of them are full-timers, said Scott Garawitz, project manager for the casino owned by the United Auburn Indian Community.

Judges said the casino's economic impact was the main reason for giving it top honors.

"Whether you agree with the idea of a casino or not, it does something for the community that's never been done," said Robert Earl, president of Sundt Construction Inc. Northern California, who was one of the judges. "It's a large employer, and the employment is different, bringing diversity to the economy. And it brings a huge amount of people into the area who can benefit local retail."

Agreeing was another judge, Lynn Pomeroy, president of LPA Sacramento Inc., an architectural firm. The casino, he said, is a major employer and an important destination attraction for south Placer County that will most likely benefit surrounding businesses.

But there are other economic impacts. Even though the casino is on sovereign Indian land and not subject to local zoning codes, the casino ownership agreed to conform to the codes and to:

Pay $458,059 to Placer County to hire five more deputies. Build a fire station on site and pay the $450,000 annual upkeep. Donate $50,000 a year to the California Council on Problem Gambling. Give money to Placer Legacy, the county's program for preserving open space. The donation starts at $25,000 the first year and goes up that amount each year until $100,000 is reached and remains the permanent annual donation.

Contribute $1 million to the adjacent city of Lincoln so the casino can use the city's wastewater treatment system. The tribe also plans to give $1 million to help build the Highway 65 bypass around town and $37,500 for the indirect impact the casino will have on the city's police department. Another $30,000 a year will go toward the city's economic development efforts, and several other donations were also designated, including $125,000 a year for the promotion of social, cultural and youth activities.

More than 1,000 construction workers were hired to build the massive casino, which cost $215 million -- another boost for the economy.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the casino's contributions will offset any negative impact it may have on the community. But the tribe certainly has made a substantial effort at doing so.

Another, much smaller, reason for recognizing the project is that it is unique. "Architecturally it's a casino. But we don't have anything like it in Sacramento," Earl pointed out.

Architect Pomeroy said that the designers did a very good job of breaking up the surface of the exterior so that the huge, 210,000-square-foot building does not look like a monolithic warehouse.

The casino's design also got points because of the tribe's effort to please the locals. "Placer County encouraged us to blend with the foothills," Garawitz said.

The designers catered to the county, keeping signage to a minimum, making sure the project's night lighting does not intrude on the neighborhood and using earth-tones for the exterior to blend with the nearby countryside. The design itself avoided the feel of a gambling house. "We wanted to make it a very nice place," he said. "We told Placer County we would build a world-class resort."

The designers -- Las Vegas-based Friedmutter Group and JMA Architects -- went out of their way to make sure the county liked the look of the project. The two companies met frequently with county officials to get their advice on the design, he said.

The interior, however, "is pure Las Vegas," Garawitz said, designed with the colors and sounds typical of the big casinos. That was a necessary touch for the project's financial success, he said.

The project also stood out because of the drama behind its construction. The casino was licensed by the state in June 2002 with a proviso that it would have to start generating revenue within 12 months or the operation would lose the right to use 650 of the 1,906 slot machines allowed under the license.

But the tribe didn't actually finalize its purchase of the land until October 2002, so construction was on hold until then. Such a project would ordinarily take 1.5 years to build.

The contractor, Phoenix-based Perini Building Co., had less than eight months to build the project. Perini doubled the number of workers it would have ordinarily used, putting them on 10-hour shifts. When heavy rainfall threatened to waylay construction, Perini built a canvas tent over the project so workers could stay at the job.

Teichert Construction prepared the site in record time and Urata & Sons Cement Inc. cut six weeks off its concrete schedule.

Builders also gained time because there was an architect on site three days a week and a county inspector on site seven days a week to answer questions or point out problems without delay.

Construction continued seven days a week, around the clock. The building was finished in 226 days, shortly before the June deadline.

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	Casino scores for economic heft, diplomacy Business Journal Staff Thunder Valley Casino might be seen as controversial by some. But there are compelling arguments for its being seen as the most important private-sector building completed in south Placer County this year. High among those impacts is the hiring of 2,200 employees at a time when regional job growth is on the decline. With a payroll of $40 million a year, the workers could have considerable impact on the local economy. The workers, by the way, get $6 million worth of health and other benefits, and most of them are full-timers, said Scott Garawitz, project manager for the casino owned by the United Auburn Indian Community. Judges said the casino's economic impact was the main reason for giving it top honors. "Whether you agree with the idea of a casino or not, it does something for the community that's never been done," said Robert Earl, president of Sundt Construction Inc. Northern California, who was one of the judges. "It's a large employer, and the employment is different, bringing diversity to the economy. And it brings a huge amount of people into the area who can benefit local retail." Agreeing was another judge, Lynn Pomeroy, president of LPA Sacramento Inc., an architectural firm. The casino, he said, is a major employer and an important destination attraction for south Placer County that will most likely benefit surrounding businesses. But there are other economic impacts. Even though the casino is on sovereign Indian land and not subject to local zoning codes, the casino ownership agreed to conform to the codes and to: Pay $458,059 to Placer County to hire five more deputies. Build a fire station on site and pay the $450,000 annual upkeep. Donate $50,000 a year to the California Council on Problem Gambling. Give money to Placer Legacy, the county's program for preserving open space. The donation starts at $25,000 the first year and goes up that amount each year until $100,000 is reached and remains the permanent annual donation. Contribute $1 million to the adjacent city of Lincoln so the casino can use the city's wastewater treatment system. The tribe also plans to give $1 million to help build the Highway 65 bypass around town and $37,500 for the indirect impact the casino will have on the city's police department. Another $30,000 a year will go toward the city's economic development efforts, and several other donations were also designated, including $125,000 a year for the promotion of social, cultural and youth activities. More than 1,000 construction workers were hired to build the massive casino, which cost $215 million -- another boost for the economy. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the casino's contributions will offset any negative impact it may have on the community. But the tribe certainly has made a substantial effort at doing so. Another, much smaller, reason for recognizing the project is that it is unique. "Architecturally it's a casino. But we don't have anything like it in Sacramento," Earl pointed out. Architect Pomeroy said that the designers did a very good job of breaking up the surface of the exterior so that the huge, 210,000-square-foot building does not look like a monolithic warehouse. The casino's design also got points because of the tribe's effort to please the locals. "Placer County encouraged us to blend with the foothills," Garawitz said. The designers catered to the county, keeping signage to a minimum, making sure the project's night lighting does not intrude on the neighborhood and using earth-tones for the exterior to blend with the nearby countryside. The design itself avoided the feel of a gambling house. "We wanted to make it a very nice place," he said. "We told Placer County we would build a world-class resort." The designers -- Las Vegas-based Friedmutter Group and JMA Architects -- went out of their way to make sure the county liked the look of the project. The two companies met frequently with county officials to get their advice on the design, he said. The interior, however, "is pure Las Vegas," Garawitz said, designed with the colors and sounds typical of the big casinos. That was a necessary touch for the project's financial success, he said. The project also stood out because of the drama behind its construction. The casino was licensed by the state in June 2002 with a proviso that it would have to start generating revenue within 12 months or the operation would lose the right to use 650 of the 1,906 slot machines allowed under the license. But the tribe didn't actually finalize its purchase of the land until October 2002, so construction was on hold until then. Such a project would ordinarily take 1.5 years to build. The contractor, Phoenix-based Perini Building Co., had less than eight months to build the project. Perini doubled the number of workers it would have ordinarily used, putting them on 10-hour shifts. When heavy rainfall threatened to waylay construction, Perini built a canvas tent over the project so workers could stay at the job. Teichert Construction prepared the site in record time and Urata & Sons Cement Inc. cut six weeks off its concrete schedule. Builders also gained time because there was an architect on site three days a week and a county inspector on site seven days a week to answer questions or point out problems without delay. Construction continued seven days a week, around the clock. The building was finished in 226 days, shortly before the June deadline.