Commissioners postpone voting on contracts to next week

    In a basic rehash of similar presentations given to the Dodge City and Ford County Commissions, the two hopeful developers of a casino in Ford County appeared Tuesday before the Kansas Lottery Commission in Topeka.
    The commission decided, after hearings from 9 other developers in two days, to wait until next week to sign qualifying contracts.
    Butler National Service Corp., an Olathe-based development company, gave the first presentation, offering a basic rundown of the company's proposed two-phase casino.
    Clark Stewart, president of Butler National, told the commission that the $92.9 million, Old West-themed casino would attract people to Dodge City who want to relive the experience popularized in the media.
    "We understand what it means to be in western Kansas," Stewart said.
    If approved by the state, Butler National's casino would be located on 400 acres west of Dodge City close to U.S. Highway 50. The casino would include 875 electronic gaming machines, 20 gaming tables and a 124-room resort-style hotel.
    The plan also calls for a wide variety of dining areas and a rooftop spa and a live entertainment/conference center with up to 500 seats.
    Doug Smith, who is heading up Butler's Dodge City project, said the company would hope to have a temporary casino up and running within 12 months of approval by the state.
    Dodge City's water and wastewater systems aren't currently equipped to handle a development as large as a casino. Early estimates have indicated the need for a new sewage treatment plant, which could take up to three years to build.
    Smith said in order for Butler to be up and running, a temporary location with 575 gaming machines and 10 gaming tables would be in place by September 2009 if approved by the state. The permanent casino would then be up and running by 2011.

Dodge City Resort and Gaming
    The Wichita-based Dodge City Resort and Gaming Co. presented a largely similar plan for a casino on 283 acres northeast of Dodge City, also along U.S. Highway 50.
    The one new addition was a complete reworking of the resort-style hotel's facade. Stephen Joseph, president of Dodge City Resort and Gaming, said the hotel in the original proposal included a facade identical to historical buildings in downtown Dodge City.
    However, after several studies, Joseph said the design proved unpopular. The company has reworked the front from historical accuracy to casino-style decadence.
    "It will be a truly exciting casino-style building," Joseph told the commissioners.
    Dodge City Resort and Gaming's complex would include 800 gaming machines, 20 gaming tables, several restaurants, three proposed rodeo arenas, an RV park and a livestock exhibit area.
    Each amenity would be completed in three separate phases over several years, depending on how much money the casino would make.
    Much like Butler National, Dodge City Resort and Gaming said it expects to have a temporary facility up and running long before Dodge’s wastewater problems were resolved.
    A 25,000-square-foot home and a horse arena currently occupy the land optioned by Dodge City Resort and Gaming. Joseph said the company would use those buildings for the temporary casino, including the full 800 gaming machines.

Future
    Both potential casinos have received endorsements from the Dodge City and Ford County Commissions, leaving the final decision up to the Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board.
    The Kansas Lottery Commission has until May 27 to write up contracts for qualified developers, which will then be forwarded to the review board for final approval.
    The decision on whether the state can own casinos also hangs in the balance, as the Kansas Supreme Court has heard testimony on both sides.
    Both Dodge City Resort and Gaming and Butler National have set property aside on their campuses designated for a special events center near the casino campus.
   
Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail him at mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.