Casino has been a cash cow for Belleville

BELLEVILLE -- The City of Belleville has already dedicated about $1.7 million of its share in casino revenue received to date to capital upgrades, with about $1 million stashed away in reserves.

Mayor Taso Christopher announced a string of projects Tuesday, including $1.2 million in road shave and pave work and new licence plate reading technology for police, paid for with the funds from the Shorelines Casino Belleville, which opened a year ago..

Christopher teamed up with officials from Ontario Lottery Gaming and Shorelines Casino Belleville on Tuesday morning to shed light on the ongoing partnership which will see the city reap a share of gambling revenue each quarter.

Some other capital items acquired by the city include a water refill station for events, Waterfront Trail Wi-fi, portable entertainment stage and the new Belleville tourism sign, which will be installed by the end of the year.

“We’re doing some infrastructure projects,” Christopher said. “We’re also looking at upgrading Victoria Harbour and upgrading the dock systems.”

Christopher said the portable stage for entertainment events is something that’s “going to assist down on the waterfront area.” Insp. Chris Barry of Belleville police said the force currently has two automatic licence plate recognition system units with plans to purchase more in the near future.

“It can pick off people who are driving with no insurance, suspended licences, expired validation stickers, as well as criminal matters,” he said.