Helen Newmarch (right) of the Aberdeen Neighbourhood Association talks to Tanya Gabara of Gateway Casinos about the new casino proposed for the Aberdeen area.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
January 08, 2015 - 3:48 PM
KAMLOOPS - Construction of the new casino in Aberdeen is being accelerated and will now begin in February, the company announced Thursday.
Even though city of Kamloops staff advised councillors the project went against current community plans, Gateway Casinos received rezoning approval from city council after a large public hearing in August.
The company was originally planning to open at the former Rona location at 1555 Versatile Dr. in October, but after moving through the permitting phase, the company was hopeful for a July 2015 opening.
Today, Jan. 8, the company announced it had hired Kamloops-based Plainsman Builders Inc. as the construction manager for the project and work would begin in earnest in February. This puts the company on target for a summer opening.
It is expected the project will create more than 200 new jobs through both the construction phase and when the facility begins operating.
"Plainsman is the right company for this job and we are thrilled that they will begin work in earnest in February," Gateway Casinos President and CEO Tony Santo said in a media release. "In fact, with their expertise, we believe we can target our grand opening in the summer, well ahead of our initial projections to open towards the end of 2015.”
It is expected roadwork needed to be done before the casino can open will not be started until April, but Marvin Kwiatkowski with the city says the work they are looking at is something that can be completed in two months. The work includes new traffic signals and a roundabout at Versatile Drive and Hugh Allan Drive.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015