The mayor of the city where the Lac du Flambeau tribe would like to build a casino says a clear majority of residents there favor building it.
A meeting is being held by the Bureau of Indian Affairs(BIA) Thursday in Shullsburg, located between Dubuque and Madison near the Illinois border. The tribe owns property there and has sought to build a complex including a hotel and casino. They have been blocked by the BIA, but the agency is again looking at possibly allowing the off-reservation facility. The meeting is to see how the facility would affect the environment, economy and other factors.
Mayor Tom Lethlean says around the community....
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"....it's overwhelming in support of the casino-hotel venture. It's not 100 percent..."
He says most long time residents favor the proposal, with newer residents opposed. He says the newer residents would like to keep things as they are, while those favoring say they need the economic boost.
Lethlean says the casino would help stabilize the economy often subject to the ups and downs of the farm economy...
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"....we go as the "ag" economy goes. What we're presented with here is a diversification from the ag market where we wouldn't be totally caught up in the cycles that agriculture tends to go through...."
The proposal includes a gaming facility, hotel, restaurant and retail facilities, entertainment and convention space, an RV park, sportsman's club, maintenance and parking areas.
The meeting is at 6:00 p.m. at the Shullsburg high school.
Federal officials say the proposal could take years to get full regulatory approval.
