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Thursday, September 26, 2002
Major Las Vegas casino developer involved in Maine plan
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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The two Indian tribes that want to build a casino in southern Maine unveiled an architectural rendering of the $500 million resort on Wednesday, giving the public its first look at a project that has sparked a statewide debate. Architects with Maine, New England and Las Vegas roots helped with the design, which shows a gleaming white, multi-windowed exterior with red-topped turrets reminiscent of Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle, N.H. The resort would offer gaming, five restaurants, a show room for entertainment, convention space, a golf course, tennis courts and a nature preserve, should casino gambling be made legal in Maine. Marnell Corrao Associates, a giant in the Las Vegas casino industry, is investing in the project and providing architectural, design and property layout assistance, said Erin Lehane, a project coordinator for the tribes. "We started to look for people who were experts in the field, because clearly the tribes have no experience running a facility of this size," she said. Leaders of the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes approved the architectural drawing on Monday. Passamaquoddy Gov. Rick Doyle said the exterior of the resort would celebrate the traditions of all Maine people. "Inside, there will be a museum that celebrates the traditions of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy people. We are proud of the concept behind this resort, proud that this resort will celebrate all of our traditions," Doyle said. Patrick Chasse, an architect who is a native of Caribou and a resident of Bar Harbor, came up with the concept of the turn-of-the-century-style resort. Architects at the Boston firm of Albert, Righter & Tittman also lent their expertise to the project. The involvement of Marnell Corrao, the Las Vegas architectural and construction firm, is lending the project new weight. Marnell Corrao has built more than 55,000 hotel rooms nationwide, and is best known for billion-dollar construction projects on resorts such as the Bellagio, Treasure Island and Excalibur in Las Vegas. The company's involvement in a potential $500 million job in Maine surprises some casino industry analysts, who wonder where the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes will get the money to pay for its services. Others call the pairing a wise choice by the tribes. The tribes, located in Washington County and Penobscot County, want to build the resort in southern Maine to attract customers from the Boston area. They have seen tribes throughout the nation benefit from casinos, and hope that income from the project will improve their quality of life. Before that can happen, either the Legislature or Maine voters must legalize casino gambling. All four candidates for governor have said they will oppose a casino bill if they are elected, making it more likely that the question will go to a statewide referendum. The York County communities of Biddeford and Sanford are receptive to hosting the casino, and have local votes scheduled in November. People favoring a casino formed a political action committee called Think About It to support the referendum efforts. Although the tribes' attorney, Thomas Tureen, has provided out-of-pocket financial support to date, Lehane said the PAC will step in to pay costs related to the project. Marnell Corrao has already provided $6,250 worth of in-kind services, and will provide financial support in the future, she said. "As part of the investment plan, they will help us with some of the pre-approval costs," she said. Lehane could not say how much financial support the company would provide, but she said the tribes are trying to line up additional investors. Christian Marfels, a professor of economics at Nova Scotia's Dalhousie University, specializes in the economics of casino gambling. He was surprised to hear that the Maine tribes had hired a Las Vegas expert for the project. He was impressed by Marnell Corrao's past projects, but said experience comes with a price. "It is a bit odd. When you go to virgin territory, which Maine is when it comes to gaming, you wouldn't really go to the stars because you have no competition next door," he said. But Eugene Christiansen, chief executive officer of the consulting firm Christiansen Capital Advisors LLC of New York, said newcomers to casino gambling are wise to go with an established company. "This is a well established company with a well established reputation, particularly for completing construction projects on time and on budget," Christiansen said. Lehane said the company understands that New England's culture is different from Las Vegas's, particularly because its treasurer/secretary, James "Jay" Barrett Jr., owns a home in Westport. The company said that Barrett is handling the Maine project for Marnell Corrao. He is out of the country and unavailable for comment. Barrett is the former president and co-founder of the Rio Hotel & Casino. Marnell Corrao built the Rio's first tower in 1990, took over the casino's operations and expanded the resort in 1996. It sold the company to Harrah's Entertainment Inc. in 1999 for $880 million. Dennis Bailey, a spokesman for the anti-casino group Casinos No!, said he is disappointed that the tribes went out of state for expertise after saying they would get most of their services and goods from Maine. Bailey said Marnell Corrao's involvement in the project as an investor says more about the proposed casino than its New England resort appearance. "If anyone had any doubts before this that this project was bringing Las Vegas to Maine, then this should cast away any doubt," he said. Staff researcher Julia McCue contributed to this story. Staff Writer Grace Murphy can be contacted at 282-8228 or at:
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