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Copyright 2015 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
As plans have seemed to stall on the potential move of the St. Joseph Frontier Casino downtown, leaders in the city center aren't holding their breath.
"It would be nice to have a casino down here, yes, because it would give us an element of 24/7 entertainment," said Rhabecca Boerkircher, Executive Director of the Downtown Partnership. "If that doesn't happen right now, we'll move forward with other things."
Design plans have ben on the table for more than three years. The downtown casino would be part of an overhaul of the western edge of downtown along the riverfront that would also include a new conference center and other attractions.
"We don't have a conference area anywhere in town," Boerkircher said. "It would be nice if we could capture that amenity downtown and bring in mid-size conferences to the community which would be beneficial for everybody."
City leaders say a study shows the casino would be successful downtown. A similar study by Affinity Gaming, the owners of the local casino, was just recently completed. Research determined that the cost of the move to downtown would be $50 million for the casino. That cost, along with recent management changes at the corporate level, may be a sticking point to progress on a downtown casino.
At least two St. Joseph City Council members think it's a dead issue.
"It looks like the casino isn't going to move downtown," said Councilman Spanky O'Dell.
They keep dragging their feet and dragging their feet and dragging their feet," said Councilman Ken Beck.
City staff are not quite as pessimistic. They point to a recent casino statement saying they are supportive of downtown St. Joseph redevelopment efforts and hope that someday they can also be a part of it.
While most are excited about the current direction downtown is trending, they know there would be even more momentum with a casino as an anchor tenant.
"To visit the casino anytime during the daytime, imagine that traffic downtown and how it would affect business and also additional business that would pop up in that area," said Clint Thompson, the city's Planning and Community Development director.
If the casino moves downtown, the city would have to look at infrastructure improvements including another exit ramp off of I-229, additional parking and street improvements.
Copyright 2015 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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