Firm eyes theme park, casino in Monroe County

Sunday, Feb. 6, 2000 | 12:51 p.m.

"We have some good ideas and we want to create the best amusement center in the state," said Kim Hart, president and chief executive of Sungold Gaming International Ltd., a firm in Vancouver, British Columbia.

For the project proposed between Interstate 75 and Toledo Beach Marina, Sungold has options to buy about 142 acres of vacant land owned by Toledo Beach Investments and has commissioned International Theme Park Services Inc. to do a feasibility study.

Hart said the study was to be completed within months and analyze the market in terms of tourism and attendance levels, revenue projections and estimated rate of return, as well as the overall theme and land-use plan for a mixed-used entertainment complex.

Sungold has an option to buy 70 acres near Toledo Beach by June 1 for $692,953 and an additional 172 acres by June 30, 2001, for about $1.4 million.

Since 1994, Sungold had been working with the Gun Lake Band of Pottawatamis to get federal recognition for the tribe and establish an Indian casino on land near the marina, which Sungold would develop and manage.

The idea was for the Gun Lake Band to declare some 70 acres as its initial reservation, then apply to the state for a casino-gaming compact. But the deal fell apart, and Sungold is suing the Gun Lake Band in Eaton County Circuit Court for more than $447.8 million in damages.

Even if the company lines up another tribe, state officials said they would be reluctant to form a compact with another Native American casino.

"No more," Susan Schafer, a spokeswoman for Gov. John Engler, told The Monroe Evening News for a story Sunday. "At this point, the governor says there are enough of them in the state.

"We've said there's enough of them with the three Detroit casinos and the existing Native American compacts, and we're not going to have any more of them."

But Sungold officials said they could make a case in the federal court for the right to run a casino, regardless of whether a state compact was formed.

Hart said the theme park isn't tied to the casino.

"We're definitely interested in developing a family fun center. It may or may not have anything to do with a casino," he said. "We're committed to develop there, regardless of the outcome of the casino issue."

LaSalle Township Supervisor Larry Rutledge said he has heard various ideas for the Toledo Beach property over the years - including condos and a golf course - but no firm plans ever have been submitted to the township.