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Casino could be tourist magnet that won't let go

Wednesday, February 21, 2007
By Sarah Bradshaw and Christine Pizzuti
Poughkeepsie Journal

In the best-case scenario, the proposed St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Casino in Monticello in Sullivan County would bring visitors into the surrounding counties, including its neighbor, Ulster County, and that would create a surge in tourism.

In the worst-case scenario, the new casino's amenities would be all-inclusive, and visitors won't feel the need to explore the tourism opportunities beyond.

For example, Mohegan Sun in Connecticut has a 1,200-room hotel and spa, an assortment of stores, an array of dining options and nightlife opportunities all on site.

"If a big casino comes in with their own restaurants and own attractions, they could keep people in their own attractions," said Marcus Guiliano, owner of Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville.

However, Guiliano said some people may not stay at a casino property. In that case, it's going to be up to businesses to have the "ingenuity to market to those people.

"If I'm a smart businessman, I would make that work in my favor," he said.

Richard Remsnyder of Ulster County Tourism sees people making the 30-minute drive from the Monticello Raceway to an Ellenville resort, even the hour drive to go hiking or dining in New Paltz.

"I'm sure that the people who are coming for more than one day will be looking for entertainment other than the casino and raceway," he said. "We'll put out the welcome mat when the shovel goes in the ground."

While the state has approved the plan, the federal government must sign off on the pact and it has expressed concerns about sanctioning a gaming hall so far from the Mohawks' reservation in northern New York.

Mary Kay Vrba of Dutchess County Tourism said the casino won't cause tourism dollars to flood in, but it will be a boost. It will bring a niche of tourists into the area that "we don't necessarily have," because the county focuses on promoting heritage and culinary tourism, she said.

Connecticut and New Jersey casinos within driving distance of the Hudson Valley have become tour stops for rock, pop and country musicians.

Those who run local venues said they don't believe a casino slated for Monticello Raceway in Sullivan County will lure away any acts or ticket buyers.

In Connecticut, B.B. King is scheduled to play Friday at Foxwoods Resort and Casino and the Indigo Girls are set to play at Mohegan Sun Casino in March.

In Ulster and Dutchess counties, those who run venues are not worried.

"It's pretty far," Chris Silva, executive director of the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, said of Monticello. "And it's a whole different thing. I'm not concerned."

Contractor hopeful

Richard O'Beirne, executive director of the Construction Contractors Association, looks forward to the building of the facility.

"We're very pleased with the announcement, and we're cautiously optimistic that this spring we'll be working brick and mortar and be putting the thing together," O'Beirne said.

The state may also do well in the deal. New York is granting the tribe authority to build and operate a gambling facility. The compact calls for the state to receive 20 percent of slot-machine revenues the first two years, 23 percent the following two years and then 25 percent.

Christine Pritchard, spokeswoman for Gov. Eliot Spitzer's office, said at this point, the casino's revenues will go to the state's general fund.

Casino trips rake in funding for organizations, said Michael Reifmueller of the Alumni Association at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

The nonprofit tried a trip to Foxwoods, but Mohegan Sun was preferred.

"I live in the area, and I, personally, would want to go there and check it out, but I would say the Alumni Association is not going to change" where they go, he said.

Leprechaun Lines, which makes bus trips to the Tropicana in Atlantic City Saturday through Wednesday, is not yet planning a schedule.

"It is certainly a possibility, but it's a little premature at the moment," said Mary Anne Gallagher, who heads Leprechaun's tour division.

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