New 236,000-square-foot facility to open summer 2007
Of the St. Louis American
Todd Weaver, president of Legacy Building Group, said Thursday his firm’s mission of helping keep the workforce diverse on a multi-million dollar expansion at the Casino Queen is just as important as winning a contract to help construct the new rendition of the gambling facility.
“I will be working at the executive level on the diversity effort. There will be outreach, and we will work one-on-one to build a strategic plan that includes helping minority firms with bid work and safety regulations,” he said during the project’s groundbreaking.
He said he would be working with different organizations, including the Rosa Parks Diversity Initiative. “The time is always right to do what is right,” he said.
Weaver’s Legacy is partnering with Clayco, the firmed owned by his father, Bob Clark, for design-build project delivery.
East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer said the $60 million first phase of the new Casino Queen and its ensuing expansion is proof “that hard work does pay off.”
He called Thursday’s groundbreaking “of seismic proportion.”
He said the dollars the expansion and future revenues of the Casino Queen mean “the people of East St. Louis see clearly now the ability to create more public safety and greater tax relief. This is a momentous occasion.”
Illinois state Sen. James F. Clayborne said the project is important because the developers and the Casino Queen “hire people from the community.”
“This creates other opportunities and is a spur to create even more jobs,” he said.
“This has been a long road. We have worked hard to get here.”
While the expansion will not create more gambling positions, which is locked at 1,200 by state law, the expansion will add four restaurants and other venues that can be used for parties or receptions. Future expansion will see entertainment venues, as well.
Now housed on a boat, which is actually up for sale, the new Casino Queen will be the first “boat-in-a-moat” in Illinois history.
The 236,000-square-foot facility is expected to open for business during the summer of 2007.
The two-level, tilt-up concrete building with a steel roof will feature 22-foot-high ceilings, a new 38,000-square-foot gaming floor (10,000 square feet larger than the current gambling area), a buffet restaurant, a casual café, a steakhouse, a VIP lounge and a stage bar.
The entertainment complex will replace the existing Casino Queen that is moored along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River.
“We chose Clayco and Legacy for this exciting venture because we know they can handle the challenges of an unusual site and a pressing deadline,” said Jim Koman, president of Casino Queen Inc.
“Our partnership ensures a positive economic impact on the East St. Louis community as we target hiring minority subcontractors, vendors and employees to bring this project to completion.”
The Casino Queen ownership team is also diverse.
It is 20 percent minority and 14 percent female. Komen said, “It values diversity at all levels of its properties – from development through daily operations.”
Since 1993, the Casino Queen organization has committed $6.9 million to the economic development of East St. Louis. The casino also is the largest contributor to the city’s revenue funds and is the largest private employer in the city, offering jobs to more than 1,100 individuals. The Casino Queen also has made more than $7.3 million in charitable contributions.
