All Entries Tagged With: "Riverview Casino"
Appreciate Columbia Bottom on May 14
Come learn about the Columbia Bottom flood plain and the wildlife that lives there at Columbia Bottom Appreciation Day on May 14. Photo: Richard Keeling
If you live in the Spanish Lake area or have any interest in preserving the vibrant natural wonders near the Missouri/Mississippi Confluence, don’t miss Columbia Bottom Appreciation Day this weekend. Scheduled for Saturday, May 14, from 1-4pm, this free event sponsored by the St. Louis Audubon Society, Trailnet, the Sierra Club and the Confluence Partnership will feature educational displays, local speakers and a bird walk around the conservation area.
Bring your own chairs, but no pets please. Drinks & snacks will be available, as well as on-site parking. Here’s the full schedule:
1:00pm Participants will meet at the main tent area (on the pad of concrete south of the shed). Demonstrations will show the flooded farm, signs will point to the proposed casino area, how important the natural area is with the bluffs showing the natural migration of the river, explaining the tables and stream testing, old farm machinery demo, etc.
1:20pm Carolyn Pufualt will talk about the Missouri River and the plans the Corp of Engineers has. She will also give out info to others if they want to become involved.
1:35pm Dora Gianoulakis, President of the Spanish Lake Community Association, will talk about why the proposed Riverview Casino is not dead as well as other development in the area.
3:00pm Anyone that wants to go on a bird walk led by Audubon will be asked to go to the Missouri Department of Conservation Visitor Center parking lot (801 Strodtman). The office will also have someone there to talk about their services.
LOCATION: Becherer Farm, 12010 Riverview Drive, 63138
North County casino efforts fall short
Many North County & St. Louis City residents got their wish this week, when the Missouri Gaming Commission voted against a proposed casino near the Chain of Rocks Bridge.
First there was North County Development LLC, which wanted to build a casino on the floodplain adjacent to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Then came the Koman family, who wanted to build a casino just down river, at a site near the Chain of Rocks Bridge where American Bald Eagles migrate every winter. Well, the Missouri Gaming Commission doled out its 13th and final gaming license yesterday, and it looks like neither of these proposed developments will be happening. Thank goodness.
North County Development LLC actually dropped out of the running back in October, unable to pull its financing together in time. But the Komans fought hard until the end, even partnering with Vegas-based Tropicana Entertainment before ultimately losing their bid to the proposed Isle of Capri casino in Cape Girardeau.
When asked why St. Louis didn’t get the nod, gaming commission chairman Jim Mathewson said: “We received stacks and stacks of opposition, just baskets of it, from the area… And I think probably the biggest single concern there is, is that the market is already well-covered” with casinos.
Well, duh. I’m just glad we didn’t have to ruin one of our community’s finest natural gems to figure that out…
Riverview Casino: a bad idea for NoCo
Would you ruin this idyllic setting with a casino?
One of North County’s greatest assets is its natural beauty, and few areas of NoCo are more lovely than the sprawling river bottoms bordering the Mississippi River, not far from Spanish Lake.
A development company calling itself North County LLC would like to take these enchanting wetlands, a haven for migratory birds and other wildlife, and build a casino on them. Right next to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.
The Sierra Club, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Spanish Lake Community Association and many other groups are vehemently opposed to this idea, and so am I. Unfortunately, the St. Louis County Council voted last night to move the process forward, meaning they will vote on the proposed zoning changes in the next few weeks.
If you are opposed to this new casino, please contact your county councilperson ASAP. You can also learn more about why this casino is a “losing bet” for North County by following the nonprofit links above.
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K