SALAMANCA — Three years after construction at the Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel came to an abrupt halt, work is again underway to nearly double the capacity of the resort with a recently announced $53 million project.

During the next year, over 300 workers from about 50 contractors will join the Seneca Construction Management team in constructing another tower at the hotel. Work on the hotel tower comes less than five months after officials announced the project in August.

"This time of year - the holiday season - is a time of anticipation and excitement," said Karen Karsten, chairman of the Seneca Gaming Corporation Board of Directors. "Obviously, all of us here are very, very excited about this project. We know it is going to be a great success."

The project will nearly double the size of the hotel, which currently boasts 212 rooms. The project will add 209 rooms. Eight from the current tower will removed to connect the two towers, giving the hotel a total of 413 rooms upon the project's completion.

According to Seneca Gaming officials, the occupancy rates at the current hotel have consistently topped 95 percent, often leading to a shortage of available rooms, particularly at peak times and during special events.

"This hotel project is driven by necessity and success," said Seneca Nation president Robert Odawi Porter. "Each year, millions of people line up at our doors ... they have other choices between where they live and where we are located today, and they bypass those choices to come to our facility here in Allegany."

Porter also stressed the casino's importance in the region, stating that all money spent at the casino stays in Western New York.

"This comes at a time when the economy is generally in great peril and only now starting to see signs of recovery," he said. "The Seneca Nation is at the forefront of this development. We are doing our part to make sure the economy of Western New York remains strong and stable going into the future."

* This is a partial story. The full story can be found in the Dec. 22 edition of The Salamanca Press and online in the e-edition. *