The White Earth Nation in Minnesota has proposed building a casino resort on 15 acres of federal trust land and another 225 acres of fee land the tribe purchased. The Star Lake Casino near Dent would offer 850 slots, plus a 180-room hotel, RV park, 10,000 square foot conference center, indoor/outdoor pool, spa, restaurant, bar and an entertainment venue.
White Earth officials said the project would increase economic development by creating jobs, increasing foot traffic and improving tourism throughout the area. In addition, the property would bring more development to the area, with up to 500 new housing units built over the next 25 years– a 42 percent increase over the existing housing stock, according to a Otter Tail County/White Earth Nation plan.
But Ty Dayton, president of the Star Lake Concerned Citizens Group, said the Star Lake project still faces environmental obstacles, internal opposition within the tribe and a shortage of potential workers. “It’s far from a done deal. There are a number of steps that still need to be resolved. Otter Tail County still needs to discuss this in front of the public, and there is the potential for county commissioners to escalate this from an environmental assessment worksheet to an environmental impact statement. If they don’t do that, they’re nuts.” That’s because, Dayton said, the trust land mainly consists of various types of wetlands. “Costs will be driven sky-high. They’re talking pylons 80 feet deep to build on. It’s essentially a part of Star Lake. They’ll just float a platform on pylons,” Dayton said. “This is about as environmentally sensitive an area as you can get.”
Bill Marsh, general manager at the tribe’s nearby Shooting Star Casino, said, “White Earth has never wanted to harm the environment. We’ve been very meticulous in our planning. We’re trying to be as accommodating and transparent as possible. We’re trying to be as good of neighbors as we possibly can be”
Dayton added, “Many of us are upset that the county seems to be promoting this. The county is doing an unfair deal by painting the perception that this will be great for everybody. They need to open their eyes. There’s a lot of opposition out here. We got over 700 signatures on a petition to escalate the environmental assessment worksheet to an environmental impact statement last summer.”
Dayton said the White Earth Tribal Council does not unanimously support the Star Lake Casino project, and some tribal members are planning to request a public referendum on the plan.
Currently the county board has delayed action on a conditional use permit application for a parking lot and a wetland replacement application until the environmental review process is completed. A tribal spokesperson said the new target date for completion of the casino is fall 2018.
