On July 8, the Cherokee tribal council held a trial to discuss the Murphy casino’s massive expansion plan. The trial lasted for a little longer than half an hour with Tribal Council approving the River Valley Casino expansion plan. Vice president for Marketing of Harrah, Brian Saunooke, was overjoyed to see the tribal council’s support and appeared to be anticipating Chief Sneed’s initiative to accept the resolution.
The Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise will be receiving a loan of no more than $275 million to carry out the plan.
After a lengthy private discussion, the majority of the tribal council ended up voting in the favor of the project. Birdtown Representative Albert Rose and Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe were the only ones to favor the measure.
The Great Expansion of Murphy Casino
Since the details of the project are not yet made public, the exact plans are still unknown. In the resolution that was passed, there is no mention of the infrastructure that will be developed either.
When asked about the details of the $275 million expansion project of Murphy casino, Saunooke simply denied telling. He wants the public to wait until they are at the point to share the plan’s details.
Nonetheless, as Harrah’s Regional Vice President for Marketing Brian Saunooke mentioned in his keynote, they are expecting an additional hotel tower, a new restaurant, a hotel lobby café, a spa, an indoor pool, more gaming space, and greater parking.
The JCJ architects receive the contract for the expansion of Murphy casino and resort. The JCJ architects will be developing the concept design and providing the cost estimate for the valley river casino’s new expansion plans, as per the resolution.
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Tribal Council Approves River Valley Casino Expansion for Beneficial Reasons
The approval of the expansion project is based on several crucial elements. The Valley River Casino has been a terrific place for many people to enjoy and unwind on their weekends. It also provides excellent public service that meets the needs of North Carolina residents. It has also been a popular tourist destination. The casino creates thousands of job openings for Murphy residents. It plays a key role in improving the city’s employment rate and, as a result, raising residents’ living standards.
The River Valley casino currently has 60,000 square feet of gaming space and 45,000 square feet of arcade games, bowling, and a top-notch restaurant. It also offers accommodations in its 300-room hotel tower. The hotel offers a variety of room kinds to suit everyone’s needs.
Representative Albert Rose’s Firm Stance Against The Expansion
Before voting nay, Rose proposed an amendment to the resolution. The amendment includes requiring the Tribal Council to hire a firm to monitor the project, which falls under the TCGE’s jurisdiction. Rose led the charge for answers on the TCGE’s current expansion project in Cherokee, which ran $80 million over budget. Rose’s attempt to amend the resolution or cancel the River valley casino expansion, however, went fruitless.
Rose continues to disagree, claiming that the project’s funding needs are not less. He brought forth the previously spent billion dollars on the River Valley casino in the last eight months to win the race. The plan, according to Rose, is utterly unnecessary to execute. He also claims that the company is already far ahead of the competition. Whereas, Wolfetown Representative Chelsea Saunooke stands firm on his words that the project must be at the very forefront for the benefit of everyone.
