CITY TO OPEN RIVERBOAT OFFERS TODAY

After more than a year, riverboat gambling proponents in Cape Girardeau will celebrate a milestone today as city officials open proposals from riverboat casino operators.

Submission of the proposals sets in motion the evaluation process that will culminate March 7 in the city's council's selection of a riverboat operator here.

That choice likely will be between two gaming companies: the Boyd Group of Las Vegas, which has been at the fore of the local efforts to secure voter approval of gambling, and Lady Luck Gaming Corp., also a Las Vegas-based casino and hotel operator.

"This is a really big day for us," said Evelyn Boardman, who was hired last summer by the Boyd Group as their local representative. "I think everybody's really excited. It's a real milestone for us coming at the end of a long, hard road to get to this point."

Boardman said Maunty Collins of the Boyd Group plans to bring the company's proposal to city hall late this morning.

"Hopefully, the weather will cooperate," she said. "He was planning on arriving in Cape Girardeau late (Monday) evening, but it doesn't look like he'll be here until (this) morning."

Leah Christopher of Tretter-Gorman, a St. Louis marketing firm hired by Lady Luck, said Monday the gaming company also would bring a proposal to today's meeting.

It was in January last year that the city council set a June election date to decide the issue of riverboat gambling in Cape Girardeau.

Although the measure failed then, proponents mounted a grass-roots petition campaign to place the issue back on the ballot. The second vote, in November, passed.

Last month, the city council solicited gaming companies throughout the country in hopes of garnering as many proposals as possible.

At a mandatory pre-submission conference held at city hall earlier this month, representatives from 10 companies attended. It was unclear at the time how many proposals would be submitted, as some of the companies were working together on proposals.

Of those companies at the meeting, Gold River Hotel and Resort Inc. of Las Vegas, Sequel Development of St. Louis and White Construction of Clarksdale, Miss., never obtained a copy of the city's "request for proposals" (RFP) document.

And a representative of St. Joe Riverboat Partners of St. Joseph has since said that company likely will not submit a proposal, although the spokesman couldn't be reached Monday for comment.

Consultants for Gaming Corp. of America, a Minneapolis-based gaming company, also attended the Jan. 5 meeting here.

Consultant Andy Arnold of Wright City, Mo., said Monday Gaming Corp. won't submit a proposal in Cape Girardeau.

"Cape Girardeau offers a unique opportunity," Arnold said. "It's directly linked to Carbondale and a very good market.

"But everybody in this business has limited resources, and I think they feel they're better off concentrating on their primary markets."

Gaming Corp. already has gaming operations in Minnesota and Mississippi and proposals on the East Coast.

Don Glazebrook of Gaming Development Group in Edwardsville, Ill., also confirmed Monday that his company won't submit a proposal in Cape Girardeau.

That leaves Lady Luck and the Boyd Group.

Thalden Corp., which is the architectural and development firm working with Lady Luck, has an option to purchase the St. Vincent's Seminary property that abuts the Mississippi River.

The Boyd Group has purchased land and holds an option for more riverfront property that's in the area designated for the riverboat's docking facility.

Assistant City Manager Doug Leslie said the city has fielded calls or questions only from the Boyd Group and Lady Luck. He said today's "proposal opening" is an important part of the riverboat operator selection process.

"Obviously, at this point we'll know how many submittals we're going to have," Leslie said. "The next step for staff will be to assemble these materials and provide the information to the city council as soon as it's compiled."

Leslie said city officials should have no problem preparing the council for their March 7 decision.

"I think March 7 is a realistic target at this point," he said. "If it's a small number of proposals, obviously, that can be done more quickly."