Support shown for casino relocation at public hearing Monday
A small crowd gathered inside the Veteran’s Memorial building Monday evening to attend a public hearing regarding the relocation of the Eagle Mountain Casino.
The relocation project has been in the works for over two years and as the project moves forward, anticipation builds.
Many members of the tribe and the local community were in attendance and multiple people shared their support for the project moving forward.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) held the public hearing to gather the statements of the public regarding the relocation project as a whole.
Chad Broussard, and Environmental Protection Specialist for the Pacific Region of the BIA facilitated the hearing, along with Ryan Sawyer, an Analytical Environmental Services Consultant.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published September 21 and the period for comments, whether written or spoken, closes November 5. A copy of the draft EIS is available online and at the Porterville Public Library.
Broussard began the hearing with a brief introduction.
“We are here tonight to accept comments on the draft EIS for the proposed fee-to-trust land acquisition near the Porterville Municipal Airport and the subsequent proposed development of a casino for the federally recognized Tule River Tribe,” he said.
Broussard explained that each speaker would have three minutes to speak and that a light system on the podium would help speakers know how much time they had remaining.
At the conclusion of the introduction and before speakers were called to approach the podium, Sawyer gave a presentation outlining the casino relocation project and introducing some project alternatives.
She revealed that the proposed project includes a 250 room hotel, a sports bar, restaurant, buffet and food court, an entertainment lounge, a 29,000 square foot convention space, a 1,700
seat entertainment center, a banquet hall and meeting space. She also announced that upon completion of the project more than 1,400 new jobs would be created for the community.
The alternatives given by Sawyer included the following: the same proposed project but with on-site water and wastewater systems, a reduced-intensity hotel and casino, a non-gaming hotel and conference center, an expansion of existing casino, or no action taken at all.
After she concluded her presentation, the microphone was opened to those who wanted to speak. Neil Peyron,
chairman of the Tule River Tribal Council, was the first to step up to the podium.
“On behalf of my 1,911 members and close to 1,000 employees, I’m here to speak about our project. The tribe has proposed to move the casino,” began Peyron. “One of the main reasons is water. Our location on the reservation doesn’t really provide for a lot of water. Our current system is maxed out. We have a waiting list of up to 250 families that are waiting for homes to be built. Also, the safety of the road. Anyone who has driven that road knows it’s pretty windy and dangerous at times, especially in the fog and rain.”
After ending his statement, Peyron provided an additional 175 letters
of support to the facilitators of the hearing.
Next to speak was Wendi Correa, secretary for Tule River Tribal Council.
“Our goal has always been and will continue to be to develop a project that will benefit the Tribe, our patrons and the community. We believe this project will do that,” she said.
Correa also stated that a fire station would be built on-site to help aid the future casino and hotel.
After Correa spoke, Thomas Eugene, a registered member of the Tule River Tribe and the gaming commission chairman had his opportunity to speak.
“This casino has provided many employment opportunities, not only for my family but for
other tribal families and the local community,” said Eugene. “Today, Eagle Mountain Casino employs approximately 500 people and has thousands of visitors every day. As a Tribe we are proud of our history and the reputation the casino has built as ‘The People’s Casino.’ By relocating and adding a hotel, the casino will be able to offer more amenities to the customers, such as a place to spend the evening or concerts and shows at the entertainment center.”
Porterville Mayor Milt Stowe was present along with members of the City Council. Stowe provided a statement in support of the project and its future.
“The City is supportive of the tribe’s relocation of the Eagle Mountain
Casino from aboriginal land to within the city limits,” stated Stowe.
Rogelio Caudillo, a representative from Senator Andy Vidak’s office, and Rachel Ray, a representative of Assemblyman Devon Mathis, both relayed support from their respective offices and presented Broussard and Sawyer with official letters.
Before the conclusion of the hearing, tribal elder Rhoda Hunter was given the opportunity to voice her thoughts.
“We’d like to be able to travel the road safely. We’d like for our kids to be able to walk back and forth without the traffic and all the other things that come with that,” Hunter stated. “So, in addition to what everyone else has said, I’d like to have our reservation
back to kind of the way it used to be. I’d like to have not so many bright lights and to get our wildlife and everything that was in the area back in.”
Although the chance for spoken comments ended at the conclusion of the hearing Monday night, written comments are still being accepted.
Additional comments can be emailed to Chad Broussard at chad.broussard@bia.gov with the subject line of “Draft EIS Comments, Tule River Tribe Casino Relocation Project, or mailed in to Amy Dutschke, Regional Director for Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento Ca. 95825. For further information please contact Chad Broussard at (916)978-6165.