The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation intend to invest an amount of $85 million to expand a popular gambling destination situated near Pendleton. The move is set to turn the gambling venue, which is situated at about 90 minutes south-east of the Tri-Cities, to a more family-friendly destination by adding an entertainment center. A new hotel tower is also planned to be added.
Work on the project at Wildhorse Resort & Casino at Mission, Oregon, has already started. The upgrade of the gambling destination into an entertainment and family-friendly site would be divided into a number of phases. The general contractor for the development, which has been described as one of the largest construction projects in the region, is Lydig Construction based in Kennewick.
In comparison to the planned expenditures to be made for the gambling destination expansion, the costs for replacing Kennewick High School have been estimated to $87.4 million.
The expansion of the existing gambling destination has been authorized by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation as part of their efforts to improve the existing facilities and make them more family-friendly. The improvement also comes to see the Confederated Tribes keep up with the increasing demand for hotel rooms, as revealed by their spokeswoman Mary Liberty-Traughber.
This Would Be the Fourth Expansion of the Venue Since 1994
This would be the fourth expansion of the place since 1994. It is set to improve the already existing offerings for both children and adults. For the time being, the casino which works 24 hours a day offers more than 1,200 slots, as well as table games and keno options to its visitors. Apart from that, the location also offers an accommodation and entertainment part, thanks to the existing hotel, five-screen movie theater, 18-hole golf course, seven restaurants, tribal museum and RV park.
During the first phase of the construction works, the children’s entertainment center is set to be renovated and expanded to 48,000 square feet. A 24-lane bowling facility is to be added to be center.
Apart from that, the expansion is set to provide more room for arcade games and of course, for more children to be accommodated in the supervised child care center. The addition of three dining areas and other facilities is also planned.
As mentioned above, the Confederated Indian Tribes plan a second hotel tower to be built at a later stage of the project. The new hotel tower would match the already existing 300-room structure. The tribes, however, have not yet selected the contractor for that phase of the project. Spokeswoman Mary Liberty-Traughber has revealed that fencing and certain equipment have already been installed, with the site being prepared for pre-construction demolition.
The officials of Wildhorse Resort & Casino promised to do their best to minimize the possible impact which planned construction works could have on the venue’s visitors, but also warned people to mind signs and use shuttles at the place.
