Boonville council accepts Isle of Capri plan, gets check from Davis

Wednesday, April 5, 2000 | 9:15 a.m.

Davis Gaming, which had planned a casino project here, later sold its rights to Mississippi-based Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., which has casinos in its home state as well as Louisiana and Colorado.

But meanwhile, Bill Grace, who has casinos elsewhere in Missouri, is pushing his rival plan for a casino on farmland in Howard County, across the Missouri River from Boonville.

He recently asked the Missouri Gaming Commission to reconsider the proposal he first submitted three years ago.

The Boonville City Council voted Monday night to accept the Isle of Capri bid for what had once been the Victorian Star Casino project, approving the fourth set of contract modifications.

Mayor Bernard "Bud" Kempf also accepted an $850,000 check from Davis Gaming, an amount it was obligated to pay for city improvements connected with the project.

Grace, who attended Monday night's meeting, smiled as he watched the council vote to accept the Isle of Capri bid.

"There's no need to panic," he said. "We're just going to keep going ahead as usual."

The gaming commission plans to visit the area April 25 for another look at the competing casino sites.

Grace said he was glad to see Monday night's vote because now the commission "is going to look at it as to who has the best site."

"I'm convinced we do," he added.

In an appearance before the gaming commission two weeks ago, Grace said the wide-open farmland where he wants to build is much better suited to a casino than Boonville's crowded riverfront. His plan, he said, would save the city from being choked with traffic.

The Howard County Commission has offered to share $1.8 million of casino tax revenue with Boonville, but the city expects to get about twice that if the casino is in Boonville. Because of Monday night's acceptance of the contract, the city is due to get $1 million by May 15 from Isle of Capri.

Since Isle of Capri bought the project from Davis about a month ago, the city had been negotiating with it over changes the company wanted in the city's contract with Davis.

Additional changes had been made since a revised contract was presented to the council at its last meeting, and councilman Jim Tsapelas questioned whether they were substantial.

Doug Stone, the city's special attorney for the casino project, said the contract changes were minor and that all council members had copies of the revisions by last Friday.

The contract was approved 5-2, with Tsapelas and Don Williams voting against it.

"The citizens of Boonville are ready to see something happen," councilman Morris Carter said. "I felt that the city council should not hold them up."

Carter said the contract basically had not changed.

"There were just a few things we wanted clarified," he said.

Alan Solomon, executive vice president of Isle of Capri, said his company is ready to move ahead on the project.

Paul Sykes, chief operating officer of Davis Gaming Boonville, made the check presentation, and urged the city to be vigilant and tell the gaming commission. "how much you want this project."

"Please be aggressive in your desire to have a project in the city of Boonville," said Sykes.

"We certainly don't intend to let this one get away," said Stone, assuring the council that the commission would be told how much the city wants the project.