Warm winter puts Isle of Capri construction ahead of schedule

The construction of the Isle of Capri Casino is ahead of schedule thanks to an unseasonably warm winter.

Isle president and CEO Virgina McDowell told a group gathered to watch the final steel beam hoisted into the skeleton of the $125 million casino complex that it will open no later than Thanksgiving, pending regulatory approval.

That is more than a month earlier than previously planned.

"Wonderful winter weather and the dedication of our subcontractors allowed us to move through our construction schedule very quickly," McDowell said. "No one would have ever anticipated that we could actually pour concrete in January in Missouri."

The beam placed Thursday was signed by area residents during an event held in December and lifted into place Thursday along with an American flag and an evergreen tree.

The number of workers at the casino site have ranged between 80 and 120, said Richard Meister, Isle's vice president of design and construction. That number will increase toward the end of April once the building is enclosed.

"I anticipate we'll settle down in the 250 range once we're closed in and we'll have all the electricians and the Sheetrock folks working," he said.

Portions of the north end of the building, where the 750-seat event center is, are now under roof. Some exterior walls are also now in place.

Isle has spent about one-third of its construction budget at this point, Meister said.

On Thursday the company also announced its third-quarter financials. During the last quarter, Isle's capital expenditures totaled $11.7 million, of which $4.5 million was related to Cape Girardeau. During the second quarter, Isle spent $7.8 million related to its Cape Girardeau casino project. The company expects capital expenditures for the remainder of the fiscal year to total $20 million in Cape Girardeau, it said in a news release.

So far, just two employees have been hired for the Cape Girardeau casino: Isle Cape Girardeau general manager Chet Koch and a director of facilities. Isle intends to employ between 450 and 500 full- and part-time workers, Koch said.

Open positions listed at this time on the company's website include compliance and regulatory officers, director of operations, director of finance and several other director positions.

Koch said additional management and supervisor jobs should be posted in about two weeks.

Mass hirings are expected to start midsummer, Koch said.

To view the job postings, visit www.islecorp.com/careers-jobs.aspx.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

777 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO