The 5 million Margaritaville expansion at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s River Spirit Casino in Tulsa and the .5 million Cherokee Casino & Hotel in Roland are moving forward in Oklahoma, despite some geological issues.
George Tiger, principal chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, said a portion of the Margaritaville project will be built on an existing stream bed. That requires the tribe to issue a 30-day public comment period prior to permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a result, the project will be completed in 2016 instead of mid-2015. “As anyone who’s ever done business with federal government knows, those wheels of motion sometimes aren’t very quick, and I’m not saying that disrespectfully,” Tiger said.
The tribe also recently came to an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the planned hotel and nearby air space at the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport.
The expansion will include Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” restaurant and casino, a 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar and a 26-story hotel.
Southeast of Tulsa in Sequoyah County, pockets of groundwater were discovered where the hotel and parking area will be located at the Cherokee Nation’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel Roland. However, Cherokee Nation Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Mark Fulton said construction crews were able to fill in the pockets to stabilize them. “There was room in the budget to get all that done,” he said.
The 170,000 square foot property will offer 850 electronic games, table games and a private, high limit poker room. A café, Las Vegas-style buffet and entertainment venue also will be available. The six-story, resort-style hotel will feature 120 rooms and convention space. A parking garage will hold 995 vehicles.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief also recently announced the tribe will open its eighth casino in South Coffeyville. “The paperwork is done, the business lease has been approved and as soon as next week a casino will go in South Coffeyville,” he said.
Cherokee Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the tribe will announce casino details as plans develop, but construction and hiring are expected to begin soon. “This will mean jobs for Cherokees in a community that needs economic development and more revenue for services to the people,” Hoskin said.
