LADY LUCK REITERATES SC COMMITMENT

SCOTT CITY -- Lady Luck Gaming Corp. remains committed to Scott City as a riverboat site, its chief financial officer, Michael A. Hlavsa, told the Scott City Council.

Hlavsa, of Las Vegas, said Lady Luck considers its proposed site on the Diversion Channel superior to Boyd Gaming Corp.'s site along the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Hlavsa said a proposed contract with Little River Drainage District to use the channel as a riverboat site is critical. He said the contract has been delayed because Lady Luck's staff and attorneys have been busy with other matters.

"We expect to sign that contract within a couple of days," Hlavsa told the council Monday night. He expects Lady Luck to send its application for the Scott City site to the Missouri Gaming Commission a few weeks after that.

Approval of the Diversion Channel site, which is near Interstate 55 about three miles from the Mississippi River channel, is a "major hurdle" for Lady Luck to clear with the Gaming Commission, Hlavsa said.

Little River has offered to help Lady Luck secure a favorable interpretation of the channel as part of the river, said Hlavsa.

He expressed concern about the amount of time the Gaming Commission is taking to process applications. He said the commission has 18 applications pending and expects to complete only three to six this year.

Hlavsa doesn't expect the commission to consider the Scott City site until next year. He urged city officials to contact their state legislators to ensure that the commission has needed resources to conduct timely investigations.

Gary Heisel, a Lady Luck consultant from St. Louis, joined Hlavsa at the meeting. Hlavsa said Heisel has met with some golf-course and outlet mall developers as part of planning for the project.

In response to a question from Chamber of Commerce President Shirley Young, Hlavsa said construction jobs would be available shortly after the commission approves the Scott City site. The large number of openings for game operators would come 30 to 90 days before the riverboat opens, he said.

Council members sworn in for new two-year terms were Brenda Moyers, Ward 1; Cindy Williams, Ward 2; Jerry Cummins, Ward 3; and Norman Brant, Ward 4.

The council accepted a contract with the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association for $5,500, $500 more than the city paid last year to the association.

City Administrator John Saxton told the council that a bid-letting for an industrial park project was set for May 10. He also said the survey of low- to moderate-income housing was completed for a Community Development Block Grant application for housing rehabilitation.

The council discussed the Scott County Commission's disregard of a contract with Scott City to give the city at least 20 percent of the representatives on the countywide 911 advisory board. The council referred the matter to committee to consider possible legal action against the county.