Hood River is tribes’ ‘ace in the hole’ in casino siting dispute

Brad Cain

Monday, March 6, 2000 | 9:32 a.m.

HOOD RIVER, Ore. - Once famous for growing apples, pears, cherries and other fruits, this Columbia River town in the past decade or so has become known as the "Windsurfing Capital of the World."

Hood River could be in for yet another image change, and those thousands of "boardheads" who descend on the town each year to ride the river's waves might be joined by crowds of gamblers.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are intent on building a casino somewhere in the Columbia River Gorge, and Hood River has become the tribes' "ace in the hole" in a high-stakes dispute with state officials.

The tribes' first choice is Cascade Locks, which is closer to the Portland metro area. But Gov. John Kitzhaber recently turned thumbs down on that because he didn't want to set a precedent for allowing off-reservation casinos.

Warm Springs spokesman Rudy Clements says that while no decision has been made, the tribes are prepared to build a $100 million casino on tribal property east of Hood River that is already eligible for gambling under federal law.

The tribes already have commissioned engineering and architectural plans that call for carving out a steep bluff to form a huge semicircle around a 75,000-square-foot casino and an adjoining eight-story parking garage.

"It looks doable for us," Clements says.

And, noting the attractive design of the buildings at tribes' Kah-Nee-Ta resort in central Oregon, Clements says concerns about the casino being a blight on the gorge are unfounded.

"We won't do this in a shabby manner," he says. "It's going to be first-class. It will be something nice to look at."

Even though construction of a casino at Hood River could be five years off or longer, and the Warm Springs tribes are considering building a temporary casino in Madras in the meantime, many Hood River residents are worried.

Adam Trujillo, owner of an outdoors sporting goods shop, thinks a casino would mean more traffic and increased crime for the picturesque town of 5,000.

"This community is known for its sports enthusiasm. A casino just wouldn't fit here," Trujillo says.

Gorge conservationists are up in arms over the prospect of a casino being built inside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

"We're not anti-casino, but a casino at this particular site would create an irreversible scar on the beauty of the gorge," says Michael Lang of Friends of the Columbia Gorge.

Lang also worries about estimates that the casino would attract 2,000 vehicles a day that would travel up a winding road that passes by a new state park.

Robert Whelan, a Portland economist who studies gambling issues, says there's little doubt a Hood River casino would be a huge moneymaker for the Warm Springs tribes, which face a serious revenue shortfall in the coming years.

"It would be very profitable," Whelan says. "It's just 55 minutes from downtown Portland. They would definitely get a lot of business, mostly from Portland, Troutdale and Gresham."

Warms Springs officials say that after Kitzhaber leaves office in two years, they might lobby the next governor to approve the Cascade Locks site. But they don't hold out a lot of hope the next governor will feel any differently.

Hood River Mayor Paul Cummings believes that the casino ultimately will be built in Hood River.

"I fully expect it," Cummings says. "I've talked with the tribes, and they know where they want to go with this, and how to get there."

Cummings, who is officially neutral on the subject, says that while most Hood River residents are against the casino, he senses that some people are rethinking their opposition.

Windsurfing and other outdoor sports have helped revitalize Hood River's downtown, but they are largely seasonal in nature "and by Labor Day of each there is a mass migration out of town," he says.

"We're trying to promote year-round jobs," the mayor says. "A casino would generate a lot of those jobs, and a lot of business."

Kelly Montgomery, manager of a Mexican restaurant in town, agrees.

"There's a lull during the winter," she says. "It would be nice to have something else to draw people to town."

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