Another tribe wants casino in Hancock County

Monday, July 24, 2000 | 10:20 a.m.

A public forum in this impoverished middle Georgia city was scheduled Monday, more than a year after another tribe, the Kialegee, made a similar public announcement of its intention to establish a reservation and casino in the county.

Since then, the Kialegee have withdrawn from the project, but the Alabama/Quassarte - another federally recognized tribe that does not have a reservation of its own - has stepped in.

"We plan to go all the way through with it," said Jimmy Buckley, chief of the tribe. "We want to establish our roots in our ancestral homeland, and we think the project will be a good deal for the county and for the state."

Ken Baldwin, a developer based in Oklahoma working as a consultant on the project, said the first official steps in the complicated approval process could be taken within a month. Part of the purpose for next week's visit will be to inspect several tracts.

The tribe must purchase land and apply to federal authorities for the land to be put into trust for a reservation. The tribe must also apply to federal authorities for a license to operate a gambling casino.

Gov. Roy Barnes has stated that he is personally opposed to casino gambling, but noted that the approval process is controlled by federal regulations.

Lesley Roberts, program coordinator for Hancock County, said the forum will be an opportunity to "let the people know the project is still alive." Last year, people in Hancock eagerly supported the proposal.

The casino resort project could generate approximately 2,500 jobs, Roberts said.

Though the approval process may be long and politically contentious people in Hancock are determined to see it through, Roberts said.

"If casino gambling is coming to Georgia," he said, "it's coming to Hancock County."