Construction is expected to begin July 24 on the .5 million expansion at the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Ojibwa II Casino in Chocolay Township, Michigan. KBIC Casinos General Manager Don Wren said the new gaming floor will offer 500 slots, an increase of 211, plus new table games. Other features will include a 76-room hotel with a spa and pool, a 1,200-seat event center, a fast-food grill and 100-seat restaurant. The current casino area will become a 400-seat convention center.
The timetable new casino section will open September 1, 2018, followed by the hotel on September 15. The project is expected to be completed by December 31, 2018. Wren noted, “It’s certainly important to us to be able to take this little gaming hall that we have right now and transform it into something completely wonderful and exciting, not only for us but for the community as well.”
Wren noted traffic could be an issue, especially if well known performers come to the casino. “We will work with the local police departments to ensure that we have people out there to help direct traffic, and that, in addition to the turning lanes we’re putting in, I think we’ll be pretty good from a traffic standpoint,” Wren said.
He described the project size as “modest,” noting, “We were looking for unique, not size. This isn’t going to be the MGM Grand sitting in the middle of the woods.”
