New Park Place head says Catskills casino still a go

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2000 | 9:51 a.m.

Tom Gallagher, who was the general council for Hilton Hotels, was chosen by Park Place Entertainment's board of directors just hours after Arthur Goldberg died Thursday morning.

The move was made quickly "so we don't lose momentum," he said. "There will be no change in the game plan already in place."

Concerning the company's proposal to build a casino at the former Kutsher's Country Club in Sullivan County, Gallagher said: "It will be business as usual in every respect."

Under Goldberg, Park Place got the wheels rolling on a casino in the Catskills owned by St. Regis Mohawk Indians and operated by Park Place.

New Jersey-based Park Place, owner of 28 casinos including Caesar's Palace and Bally's, originally planned a 160,000-square-foot casino with up to 2,000 guest rooms at Kutsher's. It would also include several gourmet and themed restaurants, 50,000 square feet of retail space, up to 100,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, a 1,500-seat theater and a championship golf course.

State and federal approvals could be years away.