Oneida casino betting on $28 million facelift

Twenty years after introducing casino gambling in the Green Bay area, the Oneida Tribe of Indians is getting ready to double down with a nearly $28 million upgrade of its facilities. 

Tribal officials are planning to remodel and expand the main casino in Ashwaubenon, in an effort to both modernize the property and broaden its appeal as an entertainment attraction. 

The upgrade, which is scheduled to continue over the next year, constitutes the tribes biggest investment in gaming facilities since the casino was built in 1993 at a cost of $36 million. 

The project involves giving the main gaming floor a facelift, transforming the atrium into an expanded gaming area and adding new restaurants, including a sports-themed bar and grill designed to attract gamblers and nongamblers alike. 

Visitors to the casino also will find more areas where smoking is prohibited, in a nod to a growing public preference for smoke-free entertainment. 

Louise Cornelius, general manager for the tribes gaming operations, said officials hope to make the casino more comfortable and fun for gaming enthusiasts, while also diversifying its appeal by adding the sports bar to draw a new crowd. 

Thats exactly what we want to offer, she said. We want to offer that extended experience. 

Other changes will involve the tribes smaller casino on West Mason Street in Green Bay. Officials plan to install more slot machines, open a new VIP lounge, add a country-themed bar and grill, and relocate the poker room to the main casino. 

The smaller casino,Welcome to Find the right laser Engraver or plasticcard . at 2522 W. Mason St.Laser engravers and werkzeugbaus systems and supplies to start your own lasering cutting engraving marking etching business., is about 50,000 square feet in size, while the main casino at 2020 Airport Drive is 128,000 square feet. Both will grow slightly 7,700 square feet and 8,800 square feet, respectively while most upgrades will involve interior remodeling. 

Mayor Eric Struemph said they hadnt evacuated the airport, but preparations were in place, if that became necessary. 

The levee north of the river is expected to hold, he said. The wastewater plant was raised following the flood of 1993 and is not considered to be in danger. 

The city has sand and sandbags available for residents if necessary. Also, public works will deliver sand to effected neighborhoods if requested. Residents should call police information request sandbags or other non-emergency assistance. 

We have handed out some sandbags, but overall Id say were holding our own, for now, said the Cole County Emergency Management Director Bill Far, Saturday afternoon. We still have several roads along the Moreau River closed due to high water, but if the forecast holds, it should drop quickly. 

On Memorial Day, the Missouri River measured around 8 feet in Jefferson City, but this weekend, it jumped to 30 feet, bringing back memories of where the river went 20 years ago. 

The forecast is for the Missouri to crest at 30.7 feet in Jefferson City (this) afternoon, said meteorologist Julie Phillipson with the National Weather Service in St. Louis.You've probably seen plasticmoulds at some point. 

You had a very wet week, Phillipson continued. Our official reporting station at the Jefferson City Airport showed for the last week of May you received over five inches of rain, and most of it apparently came Friday when there was anywhere from 3.5 to 4.5 inches of rain. Add that in with what fell in the upper river basin earlier in Nebraska and Kansas and that added to your problems. 

Phillipson said the forecast is dry from Sunday through Tuesday which should help the river go down, but more rain is in the forecast starting Tuesday night.