MARQUETTE, MI-- The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is asking Governor Rick Snyder to reconsider his decision not to allow the Tribe to move its Ojibwa Casino II to the old Marquette County Airport site.
The KBIC has been planning to expand the casino in Chocolay Township after Snyder nixed relocation in 2013. Tribe officials are now asking the governor to reconsider his stance. They say they want to build a 5-Star Destination Resort in Negaunee that could help provide jobs for some of the 400 people who will lose their jobs when the Empire mine shuts down.
The KBIC says about 75 percent of those employed at the Ojibwa Casino II are not Tribal members, so the move would create jobs for those who aren’t even affiliated with the Tribe. It notes the new complex would generate more revenue than the Chocolay casino, which would increase the 2-percent distributions to the community and the 8-percent distributions to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
The Tribe has sent a letter to Governor Snyder detailing the project, and has asked for a response by Friday.
