The beginning of the week saw another step forward for the $600-million casino and hotel that is set to be hosted south of Bakersfield, as the design and construction team of the project was unveiled.
The Tejon Indian Tribe issued a news release to announced that it has chosen the PENTA Building Group as the general contractor of the project, while Klai Juba Wald is to serve as the design architect and interior designer of the casino and hotel venue.
The announcement was made a little more than six months after the Federal Government signed off on a major component of the hotel-casino project. According to preliminary expectations, the construction of the facility is to start within a year and the project is to take 18 months to be finalized in case the Governor of California gives their approval within the following five and a half months.
The Tejon Indian Tribe got official recognition from the Federal Government in 2021. Since then, the tribe has joined forces with Hard Rock International for the development and operation of the casino-hotel project that is expected to feature a gaming floor situated on 166,500 square feet, as well as an 11-story hotel featuring 400 rooms. An event center, a convention space, an RV park and some restaurants are also expected to be included in the project.
The Tribal Casino and Hotel Project Expected to Create 2,000 Permanent Jobs When Operational
The tribe’s announcement did not name all the companies that are set to take part in the construction of its casino and hotel project, but the release suggested that the job will be done at least partly by unionized construction workers who reside in Kern County.
At the time when the announcement was made, a senior labor official from Kern County – the executive secretary John Spaulding – shared that they remained hopeful that the project will be union-built and explained that such an agreement is expected to be initiated by the general contractor, in this case, the PENTA Building Group.
Previously, the Indian Tribe revealed its intentions to establish the project on 52 acres in a piece of land that the Tribe owns northwest of Wild Flower and South Sabodan streets. Apart from the casino and hotel venues, the property is also planned to host a healthcare facility, some administrative offices, a joint sheriff and fire station, etc. As revealed by Scott Neilson, the project manager for Hard Rock, the project is expected to create about 900 jobs related to the casino and hotel construction. Furthermore, over 2,000 permanent job positions are expected to be created by the site.
On January 8th, Tara Sweeney, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, signed a record of decision, according to which the proposed site is appropriate to be used for the Tejon Indian Tribe’s plans. The Governor of California has a year from the signing of that document to make a decision on the matter, and in case he gives his approval to the project, he would be required to sign an agreement with the Indian Tribe in order to specify how the planned casino would be run.
