Judge upholds Weston gambling referendum

Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004 | 9:30 a.m.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Lewis County judge has upheld the legality of a referendum in which residents voted overwhelmingly to support plans to turn the former Weston Hospital into a hotel and casino.

In the ruling issued Wednesday, Circuit Judge Thomas Keadle said the Lewis County Commission properly put the issue before voters as a necessary first step in the process. Whether the property qualifies for a gambling license under state law will be determined by the Lottery Commission.

"This referendum is only the first step in the application process," Keadle said.

On Nov. 2, Lewis County voted by a nearly 2-1 margin to let The Mountaineer Group LLC proceed with plans to convert the Civil War-era psychiatric hospital into a $300 million resort with a table-game casino for hotel guests.

The Lewis County Coalition Against Gambling Expansion had sued to stop the referendum, but Keadle allowed it to proceed.

CAGE had argued that The Mountaineer Group's plan doesn't qualify under a state law that allows the Lottery Commission to license one casino in an existing, 500-room historic hotel.

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