Tribe renews efforts for casino in Kenosha

Efforts continue by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin to open a destination entertainment center and casino in Kenosha.

“The main driving force is to help meet the needs of our people,” said Chairman Ronald Corn Sr. “We are looking for ways to generate revenue so that we can help ourselves out of poverty and create better housing and health and education system. We are investing in ourselves. We have a huge need for all of this.”

The tribe will be the owner of the casino facilities, while Hard Rock International will be the developer and manager of the project.

In 2015, a Menominee Hard Rock project was approved by the city of Kenosha, Kenosha County, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of the Interior, before it was rejected by then Gov. Scott Walker.

“2015 was the latest attempt,” said Corn. “There were also efforts before, probably 20 years back.”

The Menominee tribe recently acquired land for the facility to be built. The original plans were to build the facility at the former Dairyland dog track. The new land is less than one mile away from the dog track along U.S. Highway 41.

“Securing the land was the first box that needed to be checked,” said Corn. “There is a high demand for available land in Kenosha, so we were finally able to secure the land there.”

As the process continues to move along, Corn said that he is optimistic that this project can get completed.

“We need to breathe new life into our inter-governmental agreements — you have to be reminded that this has all been approved in the past,” said Corn. “We need to get an environmental assessment completed and that can go on at the same time that we put the land into trust applications. Once those things are completed, then the project would go back to the governor.”

In relation to 2015, Corn said that this proposed project is scaled back from the one that Walker rejected. This is due in part to an increased number of gaming facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois.

“The feasibility at that point, I think is greater,” said Corn. “With the gaming competition that is going on in southeastern Wisconsin, as well as Northeastern Illinois, we felt that we needed to size down the project. We believe that with the expertise and hard work from Hard Rock, we can make a go of it.”

Corn said that with a leadership change in Wisconsin and a market change in Wisconsin, this project may seem more viable.

“Not only those things, but the leadership in my tribe has changed as well,” said Corn. “This is something that is very important to me and something that I want to make happen.”

Corn described his involvement in this project as “exciting.”

“Once we get to the goal line, it is going to be hugely beneficial to the Menominee people to help ourselves out of poverty and to build a brighter future,” said Corn.

He added that in a perfect world, the gaming facility could be up and running by this time next year.

“We are prepared to go one year into two years,” said Corn, when estimating how long the project will take if granted approval. “I am hoping that all of the work that was done in 2015 helps speed up the process.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com