Racing and Gaming Commission to hold public hearing Thursday in Jefferson
Grow Greene County and supporters of a proposed casino in Jefferson hope to roll out a green carpet for the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission Thursday. The commission will be in Jefferson to tour the town, see the proposed site at the northwest corner of Highways 4 and 30, and most importantly, to hold a public hearing to gather input, both in favor and against, the casino proposed by Grow Greene County and Wild Rose Entertainment.
Supporters are invited to a free barbecue Thursday at 10:45 am on the courthouse square. Supporters will also receive a free Grow Greene County T-shirt while supplies last.
The public hearing will be held at 12:30 pm at the Sierra Community Theatre. Doors will open at noon. All those who wish to speak at the hearing must sign in before the hearing starts.
The commission will decide whether or not to grant a license for a casino in Greene County at its regular meeting June 12 in Burlington. According to Wild Rose Entertainment chief operating officer Tom Timmons, if the license is approved, a casino and hotel could be open sometime next summer.
Members of Grow Greene County have attended several Racing and Gaming Commission meetings in the past year, and they’ve personally talked with commissioners recently lobbying for the Greene County license. The “big pitch” was at the commission’s February meeting at Prairie Meadows in Altoona. There, Grow Greene County and Wild Rose used seven video segments interspersed with commentary by Grow Greene County member Kate Neese of Grand Junction and others.
Five of those video segments have been previously posted on GreeneCountyNewsOnline. The final two segments are posted here. The first argues that a casino would lead to economic growth.
The second summarizes the justification for a casino in Greene County.
