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Cowlitz Casino Evaluation Falls Short

WASHINGTON – As reported by the Columbian: "A draft study of the Cowlitz Tribe's proposed casino falls short of providing a thorough, objective evaluation, according to the city of Vancouver.

"'We are exceptionally disappointed in the quality of the analysis,' City Manager Pat McDonnell wrote in a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs last month. 'I believe that the effort to produce this document was not sincere.'

"…The tribe wants to build a casino-hotel-entertainment complex on 152 acres west of La Center. The casino would bring in an estimated $415 million a year in gambling revenue.

"A draft environmental impact statement on the $510 million project has been circulated to governments, but the BIA doesn't intend to release it to the public until later this month.

"The Columbian in October reviewed a copy of the draft report, prepared by Analytical Environmental Services of Sacramento, Calif. The study generally dismisses concerns about compulsive gambling, traffic congestion, crime and environmental degradation.

"McDonnell, in his letter to the BIA, warned that the city might challenge the study's validity unless improvements are made before a final report is released.

"…David Barnett, a member of the Cowlitz Tribe who has spearheaded the casino project, said his father, tribal Chairman John Barnett, intends to meet with Vancouver officials on Dec. 13 to discuss their concerns…"

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