Casino 'catalyst' for spinoffs

Vancouver - Canada - With development of a $20-million to $30-million slots casino and entertainment complex a seemingly sure bet for Fraser Downs harness racetrack in Cloverdale, the bigger question centres on how community profits from the operation will be spent.

Bill Reid, president of the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, said he's hopeful the casino can generate at least $5 million a year in profits for the City of Surrey that could be used to further improve Cloverdale's economic climate.

Options might include a trade show or convention centre, a streetcar for tourists, or a new facility to house the Surrey Museum and Archives, he said.

"This will be a catalyst," the former provincial tourism minister said of the casino's potential impact on Cloverdale. "The spinoffs will be phenomenal. We have the community support and we have the best site in the Lower Mainland."

Surrey Councillor Gary Tymoschuk, chair of council's gaming committee, said Tuesday that council policy is that gaming profits should not go into general revenue, but into capital projects related to the arts, libraries, culture, recreation and tourism.

He, too, would like to see improvements to Cloverdale, including revitalization of 176th Street or development of a facility on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds to rival Abbotsford's successful Tradex trade and exhibition complex.

But he cannot guarantee that all the casino proceeds will flow to Cloverdale, since other deserving recipients in Surrey are likely to want a piece of the action. "We can't necessarily say that. It hasn't been hashed out. "

Chuck Keeling, general manager of Fraser Downs harness racetrack, cautioned that Surrey council's approval Monday of the casino's general concept is encouraging, but "there are still significant hurdles to overcome. There is still a mammoth amount of details."

Among the issues that remain to be resolved are the financing of the endeavour and the sharing of revenue between the race track, the province and the city.

Over the next few weeks, Fraser Downs will produce more detailed costs, timelines, architectural designs and engineering plans for review by Surrey senior staff. There will also be negotiations with the B.C. Lottery Corp. over sharing of casino revenue.

Reid's $5-million estimate for community revenues is based on the success of Great Canadian Casinos' Coquitlam operation, which earned $2.2 million for the city of Coquitlam, according to B.C. Lottery Corporation's latest annual report, ending March 2002.

The Coquitlam casino had only been operating six months during that time.

Elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, the Gateway casino earned $6.2 million for the City of Burnaby, the Royal City Star Casino $4.7 million and the Gateway casino at the Royal Towers Hotel $1.8 million for New Westminster, the Great Canadian casino $1.9 million for Richmond, the Great Canadian casino (which closed in October 2001) $527,000 for Surrey, and five community casinos $3.6 million for Vancouver.

Surrey council Monday voted to endorse Fraser Downs' entertainment complex after receiving a letter from the B.C. Lottery Corporation outlining basic details of the $20-million to $30-million project, to be completed in September 2004.

Only Councillor Penny Priddy voted against the motion. Councillors Marvin Hunt and Judy Villeneuve were not present.

The B.C. Lottery Corporation said the proposal would include:

- A 35,000-square-foot main grandstand, complete with a buffet/dining room, kitchen and outdoor seat area.

- An upscale "sports book" area with theatre-style displays of horse races, major sporting events, related odds information, and keno on large screens.

- A restaurant/show lounge featuring "top-notch entertainment."

- Five meeting rooms, for groups of 30 to 200.

- A gaming area with 300 slot machines, along with electronic and interactive games, such as blackjack, roulette, and poker.

- A retail store and gift shop.