The casino can be adjacent to the Bradley Center
The casino can be adjacent to the Bradley Center
Blog Article
Representatives of the Bradley Center are speaking with Forest County Potawatomi about the possibility of developing a casino near a downtown Milwaukee sports and entertainment venue. Woolies Payne, the Bradley Center's board president, confirmed that Potawatomi, who already operates casinos in the Menomoni Valley, and had "preliminary discussions" about placing the downtown casino in a parking lot adjacent to the Bradley Center. The tribe may consider renting a three-acre site at the northeast corner of North Six Street and West Highland Boulevard, or combining the parking lot with other parcels owned by the Bradley Center to assemble the site.
"I've had a lot of discussions with them about some possibilities," Payne said in an interview.
Forest County Attorney General Jeff Crawford said he is willing to listen to the pitch to move the casino, which is now 1721 W. Canal St. Forest County, into town. Forest County has proposed a $240 million expansion of the Menomoni Valley area, but the project is on hold until Potawatomi signs a new gaming contract with the state of Wisconsin.
"As long as there are no holes in the ground (for expansion) in the Menomoni Valley, we still have time to discuss this," Crawford said. "We want to keep talking to the business community if moving casinos downtown will be good for Milwaukee."
Opening a downtown casino requires approval from the city of Milwaukee, the state and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Crawford and Payne rejected speculation that the tribe would buy Bradley Center and convert it for casinos, which used the proceeds to build a new downtown stadium.
"Nothing like that has been put on the table for us to consider," Crawford said.
Crawford said the biggest question about moving casinos downtown would be the amount of money the tribe would receive from Milwaukee and Milwaukee counties because of the finances already invested in the Menomoni Valley.
"We haven't seen a clear offer yet, but we are concerned about how our significant financial investment in the valley will be handled," he said.
Big draw
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said he was willing to consider a downtown casino near the Bradley Center. In 2004, Walker and Marvin Pratt, then acting mayor of Milwaukee, formed a task force to study the possibilities of a downtown casino. However, after Mayor Tom Barrett was elected, Walker said the city stepped down from the task force because Barrett "wasn't interested in pursuing it."
Mr. Barrett said he would be willing to discuss the downtown site with Mr. Potawatomi.
"It would make some sense to take a closer look at the situation now before it's too late and the Potawatomi starts construction in the valley," Walker said.
According to a recent study funded by Juno Avenue Partners, a developer of $395 million Fabst City entertainment and housing complexes, downtown casinos will generate nearly 5,500 jobs and $27 million in annual spending, compared to a smaller increase from the expansion at the casino's current location. The study also found that downtown casinos mean $36 million in additional spending in state income and sales taxes and higher casino payments in cities and counties. Juno Avenue
The partners discussed bringing Potawatomi into the project.
Crawford said negotiations with the state on a new gaming contract were continuing. The state Supreme Court ruled in May that Gov. Jim Doyle did not have the authority to sign a contract with Forest County Potawatomi. The court said the contract had no fixed date for termination, illegally suspended the state's exemption from litigation, and incorrectly allowed the tribe to offer a new game.
In addition, potawatomi is awaiting a state Supreme Court ruling on a lawsuit in which Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha alleges that Indian gambling is unconstitutional in the state. Dairyland first filed the lawsuit in October 2001 to prevent then-Gov. Scott McCollum from entering into any contracts and trying to close the casino. 프라그마틱 슬롯 사이트
The Court of Appeals handed the case over to the state Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court sent it back to the Court of Appeals after a 3-3 stalemate. Crawford said the Court of Appeals recently sent the case back to the Supreme Court, which is awaiting a decision on whether to hear it again.