Ignacio – The Southern Utes plan to break ground this fall on a new casino, hotel and convention center just north of this tiny town, which serves as headquarters for the tribe.
“The tribe has approved a destination resort that will be one of the largest and grandest in the Four Corners area,” said tribal gaming manager Matt Olin. “It will have 150 hotel rooms built to four-star quality.”
The 300,000-square-foot complex – featuring a 45,000- square-foot, 700-slot casino – will replace the smaller Sky Ute Casino, restaurant and 35-room lodge, which the tribe has been operating next to its government offices in Ignacio since 1993, Olin said.
The projected completion date is spring or summer of 2008.
The tribe is still considering construction of a second casino near Lake Capote, between Ignacio and Pagosa Springs, he said.Limited-stakes casino gaming is legal in Colorado only on the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute reservations and in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.
The new complex will rise on 50 acres at the intersection of Colorado 172 and County Road 517, about 25 miles southeast of Durango.
“Durango is an important market for us, but more than half of our current clientele comes from Farmington (N.M.),” Olin said.
The town of Durango and its business community have been floating plans for a convention center for more than a decade, but the necessary capital has failed to materialize.
“We’re excited about this new convention facility. We have a definite need for meeting space,” said John Cohen, executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office. “With new air service from Delta, we can support a large facility.”
The Southern Ute complex will have capacity for 2,000 conventioneers and also will encompass five restaurants, a 200-seat bingo hall, powwow and cultural-events grounds, a wedding venue, a garden and pathways, a pool, retail shops, a 24-lane bowling alley, a miniature golf course, an arcade and 1,800 parking spaces.
While the tribe’s first casino has been profitable, it’s a pittance compared with the tribe’s vast wealth from energy development.
Cohen said the tribe’s plan for a a big center with a relatively small hotel has eased concerns that Durango hoteliers would suffer from the competition.
“We think the tribe’s spillover will benefit all of La Plata County,” Cohen said. “This complex will complement what Durango has to offer.”
Durango business leaders still want a convention center, or at least more meeting space, in downtown Durango, Cohen said.
“We’re still thinking about it, but it’s not on a fast track,” he said.
The project is using the St. Paul architectural firm of AmerIndian and casino designer Leo A. Daly in Las Vegas. The project website is www.3di.com/impact/ImpactGeneric/layout/defaultGuest.asp.
Staff writer Electa Draper can be reached at 970-385-0917 or edraper@denverpost.com.
