Completion Dates for the Ojibwa Casino in Michigan Further Delayed
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) gave approval to the slated renovations for the Ojibwa Casino in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 2016. This approval was part of a referendum that authorized a $40 million sum for these projects, out of which $33.5 million was to be used for the Chocolay Township Ojibwa Casino and $6.5 million was reserved for Baraga.
The decision was a reversal of the 2015 funding approval that would have led to all the money being used for Baraga. What led to this reallocation of funds was the state rejecting the KBIC decision to construct an off-land casino.
KBIC has organized radical ceremonies for the casino improvement and expansion projects in the early part of December 2016. Since then, the Marquette County Ojibwa Casino, has faced some pricey issues, which has pushed the final completion date to 2019.
TV6 reports that the building expenses for casinos have increased by approximately $2 million in Marquette County. Further, there has also been a major rise in the electricity ration in the area. While these cost increases in the region have naturally led to the project work being put on hold, necessary alterations have also been made to the Baraga Casino’s infrastructure plans.
While talking to TV6, the general manager of Ojibwa Casino, Don Wren, said that an entire process goes into managing these changes, including modifications to the casino design. He added that things such as these, put them behind schedule. However, he was positive that the outcome would still be great and that the casino would do extremely well. Wren expressed his slight disappointment regarding the compromise on the grandness of the property.
While the Marquette property’s final completion date has been pushed behind by nearly a year, the rebranding process of the casinos, both Ojibwa and Baraga seems to be right on track. According to Jim Orr, marketing manager for the projects, the committee is almost ready with the brand logo and the new ads on print, TV and radio were set to be launched. He added that they were also planning new direct mail and outdoor billboards along with social media and online advertising.
A TV6 report from October 2017 suggests that the construction for the Baraga property was supposed to start in November 2017. The casino staff recently informed that construction of the parking space had begun, but the casino work was yet to begin.
