Tribe moves forward with plans

AIRWAY HEIGHTS – For many standing in the audience gathered around a three-tiered cake at the Spokane Tribe Casino, this day didn’t seem possible.

The casino kicked off a month-long celebration of its two-year anniversary with a ceremony Jan. 8 honoring tribal and community members who worked to get the first phase of the Tribe’s economic development project off the ground. The first phase of that, the $40 million casino, opened on Jan. 8, 2018, after 10 years of planning, state and federal approval processes and legal challenges.

Tribal leaders also announced plans for future expansion — not only to the casino west of Airway Heights but also for a hotel scheduled to break ground this summer in Chewelah. Spokane Tribe Council Secretary Tiger Peone said the expansion at Airway Heights will essentially double the current 38,000 square foot casino, adding a food court, sports bar, non-smoking area and an entertainment venue that will seat upwards of 1,000 people.

Spokane Tribe Chairwoman Carol Evans told those gathered that requests for proposal for construction of the hotel in Chewelah have been issued. A scheduled groundbreaking for the facility is tentatively set for early summer but is running a bit behind due to weather.

“It fits the size of the market feasibility for that area,” Evans said of the proposed 70-room hotel.

Once underway, the hotel should be completed within 8-10 months.

“When we build, we build fast,” Evans said.

The Airway Heights casino has 260 employees, general manager Javier De La Rosa said in opening remarks. He attributed the success the casino has had in two years, and the ability to move forward, to the work of those employees.

“It is a matter of pride to see our casino growing and all that it has accomplished in its first years of operation,” he said. “We have many plans ahead of us.”

In a Jan. 14 email, Spokane Tribe strategist Jamie Sijohn said the casino will employ over 500 people once the expansion is completed. The project is expected to take about 15 months once ground is broken.

Evans said other aspects of the Tribe’s economic project’s master plan are in flux right now. The Spokane Tribe Economic Project (STEP) originally called for other businesses on the property west of Airway Heights and north of State Route 2 near Fairchild Air Force Base, including possible big box stores and a cinema, to be built under a 10-year timeframe.

“We don’t know if that will happen or not because phase one was not as big as originally planned,” Evans said, adding they are always working with partners and the community to adjust plans according to circumstances.

“We are always asking what can we do, how should we do it and what is right,” she said.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.