Warm Springs Council Takes Steps to Move Kah-Nee-Ta Casino to Temporary Location on Highway 26

WARM SPRINGS, Ore., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move designed to provide a needed surge in short-term revenues, and assist in pursuing the goal of a permanent casino at Cascade Locks, the Warm Springs Tribal Council set in motion plans to design, construct and open to the public a temporary tribal casino on Highway 26, within the Warm Springs community, near the popular Warm Springs Museum.

The Tribal Council acknowledged that the planned re-location would not solve the Tribe's long-term dire financial needs -- the findings in a recently published Final Environmental Impact Study, conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, confirmed that Cascade Locks is the preferred location for a casino that will provide sufficient long-term revenues to satisfy the Tribe's needs for economic survival. The timeline for opening a permanent casino at Cascade Locks, after receipt of all government approvals, is estimated to take 36 months.

"Moving our existing casino from Kah-Nee-Ta to a temporary location on Highway 26 provides a number of  benefits," said Charles Jody Calica, Secretary-Treasurer of the Warm Springs Tribal Council. "First and foremost, it's a needed, short-term financial shot in the arm for Tribal revenues ... next, moving the casino closer to our largest population center assures that over this temporary period, jobs for Tribal members will be retained ... and third, we can use some of the additional revenues generated at this highly visible, accessible Highway 26 casino location to fund our continued diligent efforts to obtain final approval from the Interior Department  for the permanent Warm Springs casino location at Cascade Locks," added Calica.

SOURCE Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs