Construction and Expansion
Since the casino's inception, its progress has been opposed by some. As a fall-back plan, the Oneida Indian Nation designed the casino so that it could easily convert into a small shopping mall, if the Oneidas were unable to develop their casino plans.
In 1997 the Oneidas paid for a water tower near the casino and gave it to the Town of Verona. The water tower has a capacity to hold 1,000,000 gallons of water. In 2005 the Nation consumed 600,000 gallons per day which was four times the amount guaranteed to them under an agreement with the Town of Verona. In about July 2005 the Town of Verona notified the Nation that after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 2, 2005 that the water to the casino and resort would be shut off after it had used the 150,000 gallons of water that is guaranteed under the agreement. Just hours before this deadline the Oneida tribe began paying for a new water pump to be installed to provide the needed water capacity for the casino and resort.
The land upon which the Casino is located on was acquired from Ibrahim Batca and his family in two transactions in 1992 and 1993. Construction of an on-site hotel and a bingo hall began in 1994. The Bingo Hall's construction completed in 1995. Disagreements over the hotel plans delayed its construction for a year. The hotel's original design plans would keep the hotel and casino separate, connected by only an outdoor walkway. Resultant of the delay, the hotel plans were re-designed to combine the hotel and casino into one structure. This new design allowed the Oneida Indian Nation to offer more services, including a pool, a spa, and a gym. Additionally, the combination created a larger and more formal lobby that allowed the hotel and casino to be one structure.
In 2002, construction of a gaming expansion and showroom were completed to provide the only Ticketmaster approved venue in the area. The popularity of the casino gave both the funding and the need for a second and third hotel to be built on the premises. Construction of the new hotel finished in late 2004. One of the hotels is the tallest structure between Syracuse and Albany to serve the common guest; the other hotel is a luxury resort.
Read more about this topic: Turning Stone Resort & Casino
Famous quotes containing the words construction and/or expansion:
“There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The fundamental steps of expansion that will open a person, over time, to the full flowering of his or her individuality are the same for both genders. But men and women are rarely in the same place struggling with the same questions at the same age.”
—Gail Sheehy (20th century)