The festivities Friday at the intersection of Highways 4 and 30 began with a ribbon cutting at the new Cobblestone Hotel and Suites adjacent to Wild Rose Jefferson. More than 100 persons attended the event, many of them connected to the casino project.
The Greene County Chamber of Commerce’s ambassador group was there in full force, and Chamber president Omega Sang welcomed the guests. “We look forward to seeing Cobblestone be an asset and help to our community as we continue to grow and develop,” Sang said.
Norm Fandel, president of Greene County Development Corporation when the Cobblestone project began in 2013 and now president of Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation, noted that it’s been a long journey. He thanked Cobblestone leadership for bringing a “showcase place” to the community. “It’s great to have support from the community on this project. We’d have never gotten this off the ground had it not been for everybody working together,” Fandel said.
Cobblestone president Brian Wogernese said, “This has been a great partnership and we look forward to a good partnership with the casino.” He thanked the local investor group, the local community, and local financial institutions for their support. “We really enjoy being able to show off and showcase this flagship property for us.”
Wogernese and Fandel then cut the ribbon with the Chamber ambassadors’ assistance.
Cobblestone Hotel and Suites has 73 rooms and features an indoor pool (opening soon), a workout room and a complimentary hot breakfast for guests. It is connected to Wild Rose Jefferson via a long indoor promenade. Sheri Anthofer of Jefferson is general manager.
The 37,000 square-foot hotel is the largest in the Cobblestone brand. Total cost to construct was $5.3 million, with about 90 percent of that coming from Jefferson Hotel Group, composed of nine or 10 couples, most of them Greene County residents.
BriMark Builders developed the facility and owns it with the Jefferson Hotel Group. Brimark first announced its intention to build a hotel in Jefferson during the winter of 2013. The proposed site was south of Syngenta Seed on Highway 4, but still easily visible from Highway 30. The hotel was to be 30 or so rooms.
While Brimark was in the early stages of finding local investors, efforts began toward securing a gaming license to allow a casino in the county. At that time, Brimark agreed to put a project on the south site on hold, pending the outcome of the casino effort. A larger 71-room Cobblestone Hotel adjacent to the casino was part of the “pitch” in securing public support for the casino. Had the Racing and Gaming Commission denied the gaming license, Brimark planned to build the smaller hotel it first proposed.
