- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
A proposal by the Menominee Indian Tribe to bring a Hard Rock-branded casino to Kenosha, Wis. has moved closer to approval following a positive environmental assessment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The tribe announced Tuesday that the Bureau of Indian Affairs released a draft environmental assessment finding the project would have largely minimal impacts.
The proposed casino — built under the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock brand — would bring economic benefits to the Menominee Tribe and Kenosha itself, Menominee Tribal Chairman Joey Awonohopay said in a statement.
The facility is projected to create around 1,000 permanent jobs while attracting further investment and revenues, Awonohopay said.
“The project’s benefits will directly benefit the members of our tribe, as we address urgent needs in health care, infrastructure, and education,” Awonohopay said. “This brings us all one step closer to a stronger future, and we are grateful for such strong local support for this transformative project.”
The project has longstanding local support, including voter approved referendums in the city of Kenosha in 1998 and Kenosha County in 2004. Agreements and revenue-sharing terms have been refined over time as the tribe pursued federal approval.
The federal review advanced after the BIA found the project would result in minimal environmental impacts, including limited effects from emissions, runoff or increased foot traffic. The agency also found no significant adverse economic impacts and said the project would have positive effects on employment and income in Kenosha County and the surrounding region.
Local officials noted the significance of the federal action. The City of Kenosha and Kenosha County have already approved agreements supporting the project, and the assessment’s release opens the federal comment period.
“This approval process is decades in the making,” said Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman. “People of Kenosha have consistently supported the project.”
Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala said the city was “ready” for a casino development.
“The Hard Rock development brings new growth to Kenosha, creating jobs, attracting investment, and strengthening our community,” Bogdala said in a statement. “This is a project that’s good for Kenosha, the region, and the State of Wisconsin.”
