When Muskegon County Commissioner James Derezinski first heard about the possibility of having a gambling casino in Fruitport Township, he immediately started thinking about money for a new county jail and juvenile detention center.
Of course, he's been thinking a lot about that subject for the past few years, ever since he started spearheading the effort to replace the two aging, overcrowded facilities. Some of his ideas have panned out, while some have not.
But this time it appears Derezinski may be on to something.
A group of leaders from the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, who recently purchased the former Great Lakes Downs property in Fruitport Township with the hope of developing a casino on the site, had an informational meeting with local leaders Thursday at Fruitport Township hall.
The spokesman for the group, tribal economic development director Robert Memberto, acknowledged that he has discussed the possibility with Derezinski and several other county leaders about establishing a "foundation" that would help pay for the construction of the jail and juvenile facility.
Memberto stressed that the entire subject is premature, because first the casino concept must gain the approval of federal and state authorities, a process that could take several years.
For more information, please see Steve Gunn, County leaders eager to tap money from proposed casino, The Muskegon Chronicle, July 25, 2008.
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