Update, post meeting:
Boot Hill Gaming was not there [seems the Dodge City Globe reporter didn't hear Thorpe], but rather Jeff Thorpe, for Butler National Gaming -- not sure if he works for them or just has financial interest -- it wasn't made clear how he is Butler spokesman ? Butler wants to build casino maybe sometime next to events center -- that buys land from Butler [there's some capital] -- and then city pays for utilities up to 50 feet from casino -- that will save Butler millions. Also Butler doesn't want horses around so events center won't have horses. Butler should donate land for events center in return for all that savings, but that wasn't brought up.
Boot Hill Museum indicated that they will need $150,000 or so for next year, as they did this year. No action taken. They only have "100-ish" members, and did not talk about membership drives or fund raising, etc., normal for museums that need money.
Butler wants city/county commissions to back them before any other applicants make presentations, cut them off at the pass as it were.
Butler states they will have only 100 hotel rooms (much less than experts recommend), and a number of restaurants, one a buffet, one a (oh-boy) "upscale steak house." And retails stores. Bye-bye downtown Dodge. Bye-bye local restaurants. But then the Supreme Court of Kansas refuses to review that casino case yesterday -- adds months and months to anyone building anything to do with casinos.
CFAB member Ann Torrey even asked -- "what happens if we build the Events center next to a casino that doesn't get built?" Yep, that's a thought, Ann -- and an Events center that now will not have room for horses. So we'll need another events center after the first one and in addition to the civic center -- And that's a lot of money, folks.
Of concern is that Butler has a small profit for the 3-months ending Jan. 31, 2007 http://www.secinfo.com/dFf8.uc.htm --
$190,412 -- how they will be able to build $50 million casino is confusing.
And, yes, it is casino bud joe's land that is to be annexed by city, even before they know which applicant will build casino.
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Of interest, given that this is CFAB (sans Greg Starks ?), that Boot Hill and Boot Hill Gaming are both making presentations. Citizens may want to come hear about their $30 million events center in this mix.
Community Facilities Advisory Board Agenda
September 20, 2007
City Hall Commission Chambers
NEW BUSINESS
Financial Report-Nannette Pogue, City Clerk
Status of Boot Hill Museum - Lara Brehm
Tourism Master Plan update - Heberling Assoc. Inc. - Ken Strobel, City Manager/City Attorney
Negotiation with Mike Burkhart update - Dodge Theater and adjacent buildings
Boot Hill Gaming - Jeff Thorpe
Our Western Heritage
Front Street, Dodge City, circa 1879
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Since no organizations have been requested to apply for funds, nor been told how to do so, nor has there been a plan announced -- is this going to be a free-for-all for our tax money ? Other groups, including ones I belong to, legally should have the same rights and opportunities to apply.
We'll see what happens. But if it ain't ethical and fair to all -- ah, never mind, forget that conflict of interest, et al, isn't important to some of our city 'leaders' --
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