From Menominee Nation News
Madison, WI – Leaders of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin today joined the top elected officials of Kenosha County and the City of Kenosha at the State Capitol to sign and praise Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) between the Tribe and both the City and County for the proposed Kenosha Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Menominee Tribe Chairwoman Gena Kakkak and the Chairman of its Menominee Kenosha Gaming Authority Joey Awonohopay joined with Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian to sign the individual pacts between the County and City and the Menominee Nation.
“We are proud to partner with the elected leaders of Kenosha to move forward with the proposed Kenosha Hard Rock Hotel and Casino,” said Chairwoman Kakkak. “The Menominee believe that to be good for our Tribe, the project must be good for the community, and these agreements help make sure that is the case. We look forward to working together to continue advancing this project on the Federal and State levels.”
“This proposed project will also help us meet the many needs of our Tribe including elderly services, education, healthcare, addiction treatment, and much more,” the Chairwoman added. “We are one of the largest and poorest tribes in the state, and our needs our significant. This project, if approved, will help us now and future generations of our Tribe.”
Both the Kenosha County Board and the Kenosha Common Council approved IGAs with the Tribe to address issues relating to support for municipal services, contributions to local projects, and sharing the net win from the casino. Antaramian and Kerkman praised the proposed Kenosha Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and said the IGAs help make it a positive for the City and County.
“This project is a major positive for Kenosha County, and it will yield many benefits, including more than 1,000 new jobs and a $360 million private sector investment in our community. The IGA protects the interests of the County, and I look forward to helping make this proposal a reality,” said Kerkman.
“I am glad we were able to execute an Intergovernmental Agreement that is a benefit to the Tribe and City,” said Mayor Antaramian. “I am pleased to see the project moving forward.”
The signing ceremony was held in the Assembly Parlor of the State Capitol and also was attended by other tribal leaders, state legislators, local labor leaders, and representatives from both the City of Kenosha and Kenosha County. The mayor signed replica copies of the city’s agreement, the originals of which were executed last month in Kenosha. The Tribe is preparing its initial federal application for submission in the next few months to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The IGAs are part of the application.
The proposed Kenosha Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is an estimated $360 million private sector investment that is projected to attract an estimated 2.4 million guests and visitors annually to the area, with most of them coming from outside Wisconsin. The plan includes new options for dining, gathering spaces, live entertainment, and employment.
It is slated to be built west of I-94 and just north of Highway 50. It will include a Hard Rock Cafe, six new restaurants, a Hard Rock Live entertainment venue, a 150-room Hard Rock Hotel, and a casino with 1,500 slot machines, more than 50 table games, and a sports book area.