South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation Chief Bill Harris said the tribe looked at bringing its proposed casino resort to the North Carolina counties of Mecklenburg and Gaston before it settled on a site off Interstate 85 near Kings Mountain in Cleveland County. The tribe applied to the U.S. Department of the Interior last year to have the tract taken into federal trust. Harris said the casino project could create 1,500 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs.
Harris said, “There were a lot of strings attached to the Mecklenburg County area with a couple of the properties. The property that really caught the eye of everybody was that in Cleveland County. The proximity to I-85 was a huge contributing factor.” He added former Cleveland County Manager and Economic Development Director David Dear and other county leaders were receptive to the tribe’s proposal. “He saw the value of 4,000 jobs for that area. Others have not really grasped the idea that this is a business and brings jobs with it. David really saw it as an economic development for the county, and we saw it as an economic opportunity for the tribe,” Harris said.
Regarding the federal trust application, Harris said “Solicitors for the Eastern Bureau of Indian Affairs in Knoxville, Tennessee are reviewing it now.” Dear added Cleveland County leaders are seeking regional support from neighboring counties. “We believe everything is going forward positively. There have not been any roadblocks to the project. We believe the project is on very firm legal ground due to the application and the precedent of other mandatory trusts,” he said.
Meanwhile, attorneys for the Catawbas recently took their case to the South Carolina Supreme Court, stating that a 2005 state law that allows gambling cruises to leave from the state’s ports also allows the tribe to offer the same games at a new gambling hall on its York County reservation. State prosecutors noted the law states that gambling cannot begin until boats reach international waters, and specifically prohibits any casino-type gambling in areas controlled by South Carolina.
Back in North Carolina, a steering committee in Cherokee County reviewed the need for a plan along U.S. 74 assuming Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel could become the flagship of Caesars Entertainment. Lawrence McNabb with the Mountain Lakes Board of Realtors said, “If this is going to be their flagship in 20 years, we want to look at tax structure and commercial zoning. My concern is what the commercial corridor will look like. I’ve heard a lot of input from folks who don’t want to lose the small-town feel.”
McNabb has apparently never heard of Caesars Palace, the company’s “flagship” for 50 years.
Realtor Ralph Crisp said in the last 50 years the county has grown in population by only about 10,000 people. The casino will provide growth equal to two major manufacturers moving in. “That is great, but a diverse economy is what we want. The hospitality industry is good, but we want to keep recruiting for industry and medical.”
Crisp said conservative estimates show the Cherokee County casino will do 26 percent more business than Harrah’s Cherokee located on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian reservation. If Cherokee County receives only 5 percent of that, “it will be a big deal,” Crisp said.
However, steering committee member Hugh Williamson said the county will enjoy a 5-10-year honeymoon with the casino but that won’t last. “The casino can’t solve all our problems,” he said.
