By Mike Fitch, Journal Staff Writer Auburn Journal
An Auburn-based American Indian tribe may break ground late this year
on a gaming casino to be built west of Rocklin.
The tribe’s plans got a big boost Friday when the federal government
announced it intends to let the controversial project proceed as
planned.
“As the tribal chair of the United Auburn Indian Community, I am happy
to stand here today and announce a new chapter in our history: one that
we believe will be marked with renewed hopes and economic
growth,” said Jessica Tavares, chairwoman, during a press conference at
the tribe’s offices in Newcastle Friday morning.
The tribe wants to build the casino on a 58-acre site at the northeast
corner of Athens Avenue and Industrial Boulevard. The property is in
the Sunset Industrial Area, an unincorporated part of the county near
the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 65.
In a fact sheet, the tribe said the casino would have up to
200,000-square-feet of space for gambling and entertainment, employ
about 1,100 people and be open 24 hours per day. The casino will have
slot machines, video games, bingo and card games.
The main topic of discussion at Friday’s press conference was the U.S.
Department of Interior’s announcement it is willing to place the
proposed casino site into federal trust for the tribe. Once the land is
put into trust, the tribe has the right to build a casino on it.
The Interior Department’s decision isn’t final, because federal law
provides for a 30-day protest period after the decision is published in
the Federal Register.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Wayne Smith reported
Friday that decision likely will be published in the Federal Register
within the next few days. Federal officials will weigh any protests
before announcing a final decision.
The project is controversial because some elected officials and
residents of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln fear it will create
traffic, crime and other problems in their communities.
Experts, however, say the chances of derailing the proposed casino
aren’t good because the Auburn tribe’s situation is unusual: in 1994,
the U.S. Congress passed the Auburn Indian Restoration Act, which
restored the local tribe’s federal recognition and stipulated that it
was entitled to federal trust land somewhere in Placer County.
At Friday’s press conference, the tribe was praised for working with
local government officials to handle traffic, planning, crime and other
concerns.
The tribe, for example, negotiated a memorandum of understanding with
Placer County officials that requires the tribe to following county
planning rules and pay the county for police and other services
provided to the casino. Under federal law, the tribe normally wouldn’t
be required to do either.
“At the county, we’re very proud of this,” said Robert Weygandt, county
supervisor, during Tuesday’s press conference.
Cheryl Schmit, founder of a citizen’s group called Stand Up for
California, also saluted the tribe for working with local
officials.
“It is significant that the MOU has been nationally praised as a model
for local government and tribes,” she told the press conference. “While
gambling will always have its opponents, there will be many of us who
recognize and acknowledge that tribal gaming is federally
sanctioned.”
The tribe plans to build the casino in partnership with Station
Casinos, a company that operates several casinos in the Las Vegas area.
The company will finance and construct the casino, and manage it for at
least the first few years.
Howard Dickstein, the tribe’s attorney, said during the press
conference that, in return, Station Casinos will receive 22 percent of
the casino’s net revenue for the first five to seven years. Afterward,
the tribe would have several options, including managing the casino
itself, asking Station Casinos to continue as manager or hiring another
firm.
Dickstein emphasized much work remains to be done before construction
can begin on the casino, noting the tribe has agreed to go through the
county’s normal environmental review process.
He said the tribe may break ground on the project near the end of the
year if everything works out as planned.
“Construction would probably take the better part of a year,” he
said.
The tribe is made up of about 215 Maidu and Miwok Indians.
