Although the U.S. Department of the Interior approved the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s proposal for an off-reservation casino in the Upper Peninsula in December 2011, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder recently said he wants the tribe to resubmit its application. The tribe wants to move its Ojibwa Casino in Marquette to a larger facility at the site of the former Marquette County Airport. The tribe cannot make the move without the approval of the governor.
Snyder originally rejected the KBIC proposal in June 2013. Last month, KBIC President Warren Swartz asked Snyder to reconsider that position, but the governor refused. His spokesperson said, “At this point we are not aware that the community has indeed reapplied to take the airport parcel into trust for purposes of gaming. Once the community reapplies, the governor is more than willing to continue a dialogue about how agreement can be reached.”
KBIC said gaming would be just one aspect of a major tourism entertainment destination it hoped to develop at the airport site. The property would include a branded hotel, water park, restaurants, golf course, five-star RV resort, retail and more. The development would create 230 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs, with 100 more during the summer.
