High-rise going up in Atmore, Alabama

[eastbayblu]

This is a pic that I took from I-65 at exit 57, Highway 21, this is the new Creek Casino going up there...does anyone have any renderings?

By the way...this thing already looms over the horizon...as flat as it it down there, you can see it well over 5 miles away.

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn176/eastbayblu2/P3210060.jpg

[bayou15]

:previous: They should have used the land for a park:haha:

[Dale]

Damn, I've heard of Slapout, but never Atmore.

[bayou15]

:haha: I bet they're glad the live stock yard(the smell of POOP) closed across the interstate a few years back!



Its a damn shame that state wide gambling didnt pass in the 1990's:hell:
This would have looked good in Downtown MOB. O WELL Biloxi is only 35mins away :cheers:

[Port_of_Bama]

:haha: I bet they're glad the live stock yard(the smell of POOP) closed across the interstate a few years back!



Its a damn shame that state wide gambling didnt pass in the 1990's:hell:
This would have looked good in Downtown MOB. O WELL Biloxi is only 35mins away :cheers:


I thought gambling was outlawes lol state wide and that would look nice downtown. Do you think that Atmore will become a place for gambling in the years to come hmmmm. I`m not for gambling but just imagine casinos in downtown Mobile that will bring in reatil,towers,people everything money ,money,money.

[BamaGrad04]

:previous: It's on an Indian reservation.

[10101000]

This is awesome, I have a lot of family in Atmore.

[initiald]

I remember seeing that on the way to Mobile after Christmas. At least now I know what it is.

[10101000]

That is strange to see, just shows that Alabama is becoming a big investment!

[Buck]

17 floors!

http://www.nbc15online.com/content/heresdarwin/story.aspx?content_id=B52F8AEC-7CC0-42B8-8660-E2BE7235F666&gsa=true

[10101000]

Does anybody know of a web site dedicated to this?

[Port_of_Bama]

If this thing is a success which I know it will be but it will be a while before it`s known Atmore can have the potential of Biloxi.

[10101000]

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm108/timothychase/Christmas07-115-opt.jpg

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http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm108/timothychase/url2.jpg

[10101000]

Las Vegas in Atmore: Casino rises in countryside
Posted by By CONNIE BAGGETT July 27, 2008 7:09 AM
ATMORE - A year after the Poarch Band of Creek Indians broke ground on the tribe's most ambitious venture to date, hundreds of workers are pressing to finish a new casino by January and a 16-floor luxury hotel by February.

Tim Martin, president of Creek Indian Enterprises, said the first phase of Wind Creek Casino and Resort is on schedule, as a noted architectural firm, Brown Chambless of Montgomery, collaborates with contractors to create a tourist destination.


The hotel tower appears to motorists on Interstate 65 heading north or south miles before they reach the Atmore exit at Alabama 21. The project name, symbolized in the wavelike rooftop, is also a reference to the branch of Creek Indians who comprise the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama: the Wind Clan.

Architect John Chambless said that Wind Creek is the product of a design team experienced in more than 40 casino construction efforts. Chambless himself has been involved in high-profile projects such as the Montgomery Business Center and Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

He said that the exterior features stone and copper finishes that impart Indian motifs, while the interior shows the flash and glitz of Las Vegas.

The 80,000-square-foot gaming room will hold 1,600 electronic bingo machines that operate, sound and look remarkably like slot machines.

For years, Poarch Creeks and the state have been locked in a battle over the tribe's right to offer Class III gaming, such as dice tables, blackjack, poker and roulette.

Federal law allows tribes, as sovereign nations, to introduce bingo halls on tribal lands. The law also empowers tribes to negotiate with state governments to set up Class III gaming if the states prohibit it otherwise.

But Alabama governors have steadfastly refused to negotiate with the tribe, and even after lawsuits, the Poarch Creeks can provide only electronic bingo games ? machines nearly indistinguishable to many observers from slot machines.

Wind Creek will be very similar to casinos in Mississippi and elsewhere. A steak restaurant, a 24-hour cafe and large buffet eatery lie just off the main floor, as do a coffee bar, several cocktail bars and performance stages.

Once the hammered copper and tooled wood are in place, and the casino and hotel are running, Phase II will start with a 5-acre lake and pool replacing the present Poarch Creek Entertainment Center by next summer. A golf course will follow.

If the $260 million Wind Creek is as profitable as the Poarch Creeks hope, the tribe will double the casino area and build two more towers, according to Chambless.

Jim Angus, construction project control manager for Creek Indian Enterprises, said Friday that he expects 90- to 100-percent occupancy for the hotel's 232 rooms.

Upscale suites at the top of the hotel are larger in size. The cost of a night there will start at several hundred dollars, Angus said.

But those won't compare in price or luxury to suites just over the gaming area. Those suites, at $2,000 to $3,000 a night, will have fireplaces, high-tech sound and lighting, flat-screen televisions built into the bathroom mirrors, and balconies that overlook the lake or 2,000-seat amphitheater.

The cost of a night at the other rooms will vary, starting at a few hundred dollars, Angus said.

Wind Creek's designers were shooting to surpass the luxury in some Las Vegas hotels, and closer by, the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Angus said.

"We are playing against the big boys," he said, "so we have to match or exceed what they offer. We are spending more on the finer details to make this a nicer hotel and resort. This will be a vacation destination."

Angus said target marketing in northwest Florida has already increased traffic to the present casino. High gasoline prices combined with a shorter drive should boost Wind Creek's competitiveness with Mississippi locales, he said.

During the past week at the tower, construction crews pulled wire and connected plumbing, finished Sheetrock, and set exterior glass 16 floors high.

About 360 workers swarmed over the site Friday. From the tower's upper floors, green fields and rolling pine hills stretched out in the distance.

A farmer in a nearby field cut hay as tower workers, hanging from harnesses, toiled away.

Atmore's landscape has already changed with Wind Creek and developments at Atmore's Rivercane industrial park. In upcoming days, Angus said, workers will set steel poles for a large electronic sign that will advertise the casino.

It's a high-stakes industry, Angus said, and the Poarch Creeks are rolling the dice.


http://blog.al.com/live/2008/07/las_vegas_in_atmore_casino_ris.html

[10101000]

http://www.cityofatmore.com/rivercane.asp

[Muskavon]

Sadly my parents are hard core gamblers (Biloxi lovers). They just went to Atmore (again) after advice from a friend. It still sucks. It is still what Alabama allows (obviously)....sort of slots....sort of being like gaming machines...but not really. In a run down terrible experience. I'm not sure what Atmore could do to get my parents to come back a 3rd time and be pissed off at the experience once again. They will just go back to Biloxi. Maybe this will be a cute place for Monroeville, Century and Brewton residents. It isn't the real thing and that does make a big difference. I'm concerned about the investment considering the laws and the nearby real choices.

[10101000]

The casino is not even open yet, where did they go? They tore the old place down.

[10101000]

http://www.pcigaming.com/coda/wind_creek.html

[Bogue]

yeah, it's sort of a poor man's Biloxi. No offense to the folks of Atmore or the Creeks for trying... but it's not really the real thing. It can be successful in the way that places like Greenetrack, etc. are, but it'll never be a major draw for folks in Mobile who want to gamble. Atmore is about as far away as Biloxi... if not farther.

[10101000]

Actually, Atmore is closer. From the site to Mobile is 48 miles.

[10101000]

More than the Casino, the Rivercane development is a major project that this area has never seen.

[Bogue]

True. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[bayou15]

Actually, Atmore is closer. From the site to Mobile is 48 miles.

Grand bay to Hard Rock , Made it in 24mins.

[Bogue]

Tim: There's about a 10 mile difference between them, then, and that's w/ the Mobile starting point unknown. If that distance is from downtown then for a person in S. or W. Mobile the distance to Biloxi is probably closer. Either way, that's not much of a difference in terms of time or gas.

Bayou... I'm assuming you didn't attempt such a cannonball run during the past week? ;)

[10101000]

That is fast!

[bayou15]

HA, Nope, the traffic has been to bad lately. :yes:



Two more records i'll share with y'all.........



1) Grand Bay to Slidel .......54 min


2) Southwest Atlanta to Bel Air Mall 3hrs:17mins in a Ford F-150

[10101000]

Fast!

[10101000]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmore,_Alabama

[B'ham Bound]

The nearby area sucks but it is an impressive development. I remember pulling over there a month or so ago after I decided it was impossible for me to make it from Nola to Auburn at night.

[OCA REP]

Associated Press article in today's Montgomery Advertiser concerning the Atmore casino:

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081006/NEWS02/810050358


Casino changes Atmore landscape
By Garry Mitchell • The Associated Press • October 6, 2008

ATMORE -- A 17-story casino hotel being built by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians rises out of the rolling farmlands and pine forests of south Alabama, an eye-catching tower for the stream of travelers on Interstate 65.

To make sure drivers don't miss the casino exit, a 65-foot-high electronic sign will beckon them to the site, which tribal leaders hope will gain a reputation as a destination resort.

The casino is to be filled with 1,600 electronic bingo games in halls enlivened by the flashing lights and ringing bells of a Las Vegas-style gambling palace. But that kind of high-stakes gambling still isn't allowed in Alabama -- on or off tribal land, at least not yet -- a divisive issue for years between state officials and Alabama's only federally recognized American Indian tribe.

Still, the hotel's gleaming glass tower looming over the rural landscape has raised expectations that the tribe's investment will pay off.

"Atmore now has a skyline," said real estate agent Ann Gordon, whose office is near the hotel. "It's hard for a small town to change. But we will see a lot of growth."

She said she expects the tribe's Wind Creek Casino & Hotel and a city-owned business park planned across Alabama 21 from the hotel will create the type of interstate-exit growth familiar around the United States.

"Poarch Creeks' businesses have provided economic stability to both our tribal members and our neighbors. We have grown to be the largest employer in the county and a major employer in the state," Creek Chairman Buford L. Rolin said.

Lumber dealer David Swift Sr. said Atmore still will have its rural roots, a slow-paced lifestyle built around farming, livestock, timber and two state prisons, but he expects the area around the casino will become a large commercial center, extending its reach into the town about four miles away.

For some, the development hasn't been a plus.

John Spence, who has operated Dixie Catfish Shack for 11 years at a site about a mile from the hotel, said the increased traffic on the highway during construction hasn't helped his restaurant.

But he wasn't sure why. He said his business may have been hurt by high gas prices and the slumping economy or "it could be people gambling" their money away.

"I hope it picks up," he said.

The existing Creek gaming center, which has been a smaller scale bingo operation for years, offers dining. But the new hotel's planned 300-seat restaurant will be a bigger competitor with its expansive buffet and a separate 84-seat upscale dining room.

"You can't have something that big without making a major impact on a small town our size," Mayor Howard Shell said.

But he expects the increased number of casino customers to provide a lot of economic "fringe benefits" to the city's restaurants and other businesses.

In Mobile, a legal dispute also has implications for the gambling future of the Creeks, a tribe of about 2,600 that gained its federal recognition in 1984. The Poarch Creeks are descendents of a segment of the original Creek Nation, which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia.

Alabama Attorney General Troy King has a suit pending in U.S. District Court in Mobile seeking to strike down regulations that allow the U.S. Department of Interior and American Indian tribes to bypass a state's refusal to negotiate a compact for casino-style gaming. The Creeks' lawyers have asked that the suit be dismissed.

A Texas case with similar issues also has been litigated and awaits a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that might affect the Alabama tribe.

The legal battle hasn't stopped the Creeks from replacing their old Creek Bingo Palace with the multimillion-dollar high-rise and planning a sister hotel on tribal land at Wetumpka, near Montgomery, where the tribe operates another electronic bingo casino.

The new Atmore casino on a 35-acre site is expected to open in January, followed by the 236-room hotel in February. A water feature -- a small lake -- is expected to be completed in June, the final stage of the opening. An amphitheater with seating for 2,000 is planned at the water's edge.

The Memphis, Tenn.-based Flintco Constructive Services, a privately held American Indian-owned company, is building the hotel in partnership with Martin Construction Inc. in Atmore.

Creek Indian Enterprises construction manager Jim Angus said the project has created about 350 construction jobs. When completed, some 750 workers are expected to operate the complex, working three shifts around the clock.

Latoya Williams-Staples, who works in the casino, said she expects business will pick up because the hotel will be visible "up and down" the interstate. The complex is about 50 miles from both Mobile and Pensacola, Fla.

"It's a great opportunity for Atmore," she said.

A manufacturing city split by railroad tracks and home to two state prisons, Atmore has seen its population shrink from 8,046 in 1990 to 7,427 in 2007, as residents relocated for jobs. Hurricane Ivan's tornadoes ripped through here in 2004, but repairs have given the city a spruced-up look.

"Everybody is excited about the hotel. It will put Atmore on the map," said Freddie Hobbs, 56, a lifelong resident. "It will help keep young people around."

http://cmsimg.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DS&Date=20081006&Category=NEWS02&ArtNo=810050358&Ref=AR&Profile=1009&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[Port_of_Bama]

I wonder if Atmore has the ability to be another Biloxi ?

[OCA REP]

I wonder if Atmore has the ability to be another Biloxi ?

I would say NO given the current restrictive gambling laws we have in Alabama.

[10101000]

Beautiful building!

[10101000]

By MaryClaire Foster
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 12:22 AM CDT
Gov. Bob Riley was in town Tuesday to discuss what he called the first step in a process to make Alabama a leader in the alternative fuel industry.

If all goes well, Atmore may become home to the first production of sugar cane for use as jet fuel by the Air Force in the nation, which could lead to a billion dollar investment.

One hundred acres of land has been cultivated and planted with sugar cane seed as a test site on property owned by the Department of Corrections and leased to Auburn University. The land is adjacent to Holman Correctional Facility.

To make this project possible, the state partnered with Amyris Biotechnologies, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and Auburn University.

“When it comes to national security, we have to be energy independent,” Riley said. “When the Air Force says this, ‘We want to look at a renewable jet fuel source produced in the US.’ Then if we’re going to produce it in the U.S., I think it ought to be in Alabama.”

Alabama was scouted as a location because a board member of Hudson-Alpha Institute in Huntsville is an investor in Amyris, and he facilitated a meeting between Gov. Riley and Amyris CEO John Melo.

According to its Web site, Amyris is “a renewable products company devoted to creating a more sustainable world.”

Melo told of his skepticism towards Alabama being a possible site for a bio-fuel crop and how his meeting with Gov. Riley made him change his perspective.

“Your Governor has tremendous vision,” he said. “It started as a relationship where I was coming in to tell him we didn’t have any interest and he proceeded to change my mind. He asked what crop I wanted and I said sugar cane. He said, ‘Did you know that 40 to 50 years ago we had sugar cane growing where our cotton is now?’ That turned into well, let’s look at it and explore.”

Four types of sugar cane are being grown to test the viability of the crop for commercial production in Alabama. If successful, and area farmers begin to grow the crop, Amyris will seek funding to build a bio-fuel demonstration plant to convert the sugar cane to jet fuel.

Melo is positive about the potential this crop has.

“Think about where this starts, 100 acres this year, a 1,000 the next, 10,000 the next, then full fuel manufacturing the year after,” he said.

If after a year, the crop proves to be viable Melo said his company would put in large amounts of capital to fund mass production.

“This year is just observing the cane growth,” he said. “Can we get the right yield in other words, can we get the juice we need out of the cane, and if so, is that juice of high enough quality to convert to jet fuel? Next year, if that turns out well, it has good promise we will plant the thousand acres and then commit capital the next year. Our mission would be to commit to a project that the first plant would be a $500 million investment somewhere in the local area and that would evolve into, between now and 2012, 2013, about a billion to a billion and a half in two or three plants.”

As of now, Melo said he sees no reason production would move from this area.

“The plant has to be in a 25 mile radius of the cane, because it only has 24 hours before fermentation begins” he said. “There is no view that the 1,000 acres has to be very far from the 100. Ideally, we would continue to grow in the local area.”

Atmore Mayor Howard Shell expressed his appreciation to the state for their work on this project and his own favorable outlook on it.

“I really appreciate the Governor and his initiative and our representative’s,” he said.

“We are a partner in this operation. Where you are standing is in city limits. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call or casual conversation and the next thing you know you’re standing in a field with a hundred people around you and could be looking at the beginning of something great and this could be just that.”

The project is being funded through a $250,000 grant made possible by ADECA. Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System will manage the site.

Extension Specialist and Associate Professor at Auburn, Bob Goodman, said his main priority is the farmers.

“We want to see if this works or not, and if it does how much money can be made (by the farmers) and if not we want to make sure resources aren’t wasted.”

[10101000]

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm108/timothychase/news3.jpg
Tribe takes gamble



Tribe takes gamble
By Adam Prestridge
Published: Sunday, October 26, 2008 10:58 PM CDT

Prior to beginning construction of their 17-story casino and hotel off Interstate 65, the largest debt the Poarch Band of Creek Indians had was just over $2.5 million.

The cost of building the state-of-the-art high-rise far exceeds that with final totals expected to top out near $235 million, 93 times more than debts of the past. Creek Indian Enterprises president and CEO Tim Martin said when the announcement to build Wind Creek Casino and Hotel was made anxiety was a common feeling among Tribal members.

Martin said that anxiety has now changed to excitement as the January 2009 opening of the casino quickly approaches.

“I go to work some mornings and by 10 a.m., I’ve spent half a million dollars and realize by that afternoon, I may spend another $2 or $3 million,” Martin said. “Before this, the largest debt the Tribe had was about $2.5 million. To go from $2.5 million to $250 million, and at the beginning we’re talking about $500 million, there was a reluctance and anxiety even within us. Now that we are this far along the Tribal members are truly taking pride in what we are doing.”

Pre-construction cost estimates were much higher than the final cost estimates allowing the Tribe to add onto the project with more amenities such as the resort’s spa and culinary school.

“What Tim and I are attempting to do now, in most case, is to take a program in a budget and wind up at the end of the day giving the Tribe more than they expect for the same amount,” Creek Indian Enterprises Construction Project Controls Manager James R. Angus, P.E. said. “The culinary school and the spa is exactly what we put ourselves in the position to do. We are going to wind up adding a spa and a culinary school and improving the facility and still staying in the original budget.”

Martin said by adding the spa and culinary school it “keeps guests on property” and will also hopefully attract guests that don’t gamble.

“The spa and the culinary school put us in a position to clearly be a four diamond facility,” Angus said.

Martin said Angus’ experience in casino construction has proven invaluable,

“Jim brings to us the experience of value engineering,” he said.

Martin said it took a number of talented Tribal officials to secure the loan to carry out this multi-million dollar project.

“People don’t realize, but we put together a management team that we took to market,” Martin said. “That’s the reason we were able to get the money that we got was that we had a very solid, experienced management team.”

Martin added that as construction has continued, the Tribe has been able to pay for some of the project out of pocket with profits generated from its current operation, Creek Entertainment Center.

“A great deal of the debt that we have we are giving a lot of self-equity contributions,” he said. “Because we are able to pay as we go, we didn’t have to borrow as much money than what we otherwise would have to do if it was a green field.”

Some added costs were incurred to build the casino and hotel at its location off Exit 57 with its design having to take in to account the Tribe’s current gaming facility and relocation and demolition of those buildings, once the new facility is completed.

“We didn’t start with a green space,” Martin said. “We didn’t start with an open field. We could have gone to another piece of the reservation, but that was the best piece of the reservation right there, besides the current operation. So, the design of the building took that into account because the reservation was all we could do the gaming on.”

To save as much money as possible, Tribe will utilize the Creek Entertainment Center’s building for use at gaming operations north of Atmore.

“The newest part of the old will be torn down and moved to Wetumpka for a warehouse,” he said.

Once the current gaming center is relocated, it will make room for the resort’s amenities scheduled to open June of 2009.

“We have to open the casino, so we can relocate the existing operation into the new operation, dismantle the existing operation, then we can build the lake, the hotel pool and all the other amenities,” Angus said.

As for future developments, the Tribe is not done investing in its future.

“We’re fixing to a build a new water tank, a new fire station and upgrade our sewer system,” Martin said.

Retail development will also be added along Hwy. 29 fronting the casino in the future, Martin said.

Utility improvements are also in store for the future.

“We are going to be doing, I would guess, about $10 million in off-site utility improvements that are necessary to support what we are doing out here,” Angus said

http://www.atmoreadvance.com/articles/2008/10/26/news/news3.txt

[bystander1]

I went to visit someone in Atmore last weekend, and I rode past this place on my way back home to get a closer look. I could see that this will be a really large multi-purpose development. The roads leading though it are wide enough to support a huge amount of retail...plus a golf course if they wanted to. They even own a gas station within the development that's open already.

[10101000]

This is hard to believe for me.... Very, very nice.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I think that if Alabama stops this stupid backward NO GAMBLING policy, Atmore could be a great and nice gambling center. But, the odds of them getting rid of this idiotic ideal are very slim.

[photoLith]

Is that out in the middle of nowhere? I hope it doesnt induce urban sprawl in that area, but instead, brings in more towers. Ive never even heard of Atmore, Ill have to look it up. I bet its bootiful down thar.

[Evan]

Is that out in the middle of nowhere? I hope it doesnt induce urban sprawl in that area, but instead, brings in more towers. Ive never even heard of Atmore, Ill have to look it up. I bet its bootiful down thar.

It's where we execute our prisoners.

[10101000]

That is funny! Atmore is pretty nice. In Town Atmore is very beautiful...

[10101000]

Developer purchases $884,000 parcel

http://www.atmoreadvance.com/articles/2008/10/29/news/news1.txt

Four-story, 81-room hotel to locate at Rivercane
By Adam Prestridge
Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 6:49 AM CDT
The Atmore exit off Interstate 65 may soon be the next busiest stop along the stretch of freeway between Greenville and Mobile.

Local hotel investors Raman and Savita Patel recently sealed the deal on just over two acres in Rivercane, the city’s 643-acre commercial development project at I-65, and plan to build a Hampton Inn & Suites, according to Southern Real Estate’s Debbie Rowell, who represented the buyer. Coupled with the construction of a Comfort Suites currently underway in Rivercane and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ Wind Creek Casino and Hotel, Exit 57 may soon become full of activity.

“We were delighted to make the sale,” Rivercane project manager Joe Webb said. “We were especially gratified that it was purchased by a local developer and sold by a local realtor. We look forward to getting it constructed and having it available for the public.”

Saad & Vallas Realty Group was the listing agent for the property, which is located on the west side of Hwy. 21 south of the Best Western, and sold for $884,000, according to Rowell. The selling price breaks out to be $10 per square feet.

Atmore Mayor Howard Shell said he is pleased to have another developer committed to Rivercane.

“We’re extremely proud that Hampton Inn has decided to invest in Rivercane and we feel it will be a very nice asset to the project,” he said.

Shell added that land transactions such as the Patel’s take a lot of time to close.

“I’ve been working on this since March,” Rowell said.

Rowell said the four-story hotel will consist of 81 rooms and construction is planned to begin in January 2009. She said the Patel’s plan is for construction to be completed and the hotel opened in the summer of 2009.

Rowell believes the new hotel will benefit the area in many ways.

“Naturally it’s going to help our tax base,” Rowell said. “I also feel that any development out there is an asset to the area. It will attract people locally as well as off Interstate 65.”

Webb added that there are other investors seriously looking at locating in Rivercane.

“We have two other hotel sites under contract, and a fast food site under contract and we have other prospects that are looking that are not under contract,” Webb said.

No timeline is available for when closing will occur on the two hotels or fast food restaurant.

As for the stability of Rivercane during today’s economic skid, Webb believes the city is holding its own.

“We’re all effected by the overall economy, but just the fact that we were able to close the deal is evidence that there are people out that are willing to expand,” he said. “It’s just a matter of locating the people that have the financial strength to move forward.”

The Patels were unavailable for comment.

[BlessedMobile]

for the price of a stamp you can just send me your money and save the time and gas. Who are we kidding...that place is going to the "bingo plus" of gambling establishments.

[10101000]

Dude shut up. Someone must have peed in your cornflakes! That area is not all about the casino, it is also about Rivercane, read the article.

[BlessedMobile]

Dude shut up. Someone must have peed in your cornflakes! That area is not all about the casino, it is also about Rivercane, read the article.

Oh yea, it is about hotels and fast foods. Thanks "dude". I hope the indians can stand the competition.

[OCA REP]

Oh yea, it is about hotels and fast foods. Thanks "dude". I hope the indians can stand the competition.

BlessedMobile, all of the posts you made to the various threads on here around the time of the one Tim replied to were of the negative nature. I just thought you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe someone did mess with your corn flakes!

:cool:

[BlessedMobile]

Oca...I think I had a bad week and tried to take it out on Atmore and, what I think, is a really lousy return on our money with much of the new city plan. Yes, I like urban living and multiple tall downtown structures. Anyway, nice call Oca...I appreciate your counseling. Being called "dude" had been a distant memory. I now feel refreshed and humbled! Sorry guys.

[OCA REP]

Being called "dude" had been a distant memory. I now feel refreshed and humbled!

LOL... welcome back!

[10101000]

http://www.atmoreadvance.com/articles/2008/11/12/news/news2.txt


Upscale subdivision first for Atmore in 25 years
By MaryClaire Foster
Published: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 10:10 PM CST
It has taken a year to come to fruition, but Olde Towne subdivision has broken ground on the first home.

“It’s a big announcement for the town,” Patty Helton- Davis, associate broker with Southern Real Estate, said.

Southern Real Estate and Maxwell Construction Company paired together to develop this subdivision, which they are calling upscale and unique.

“Old world charm combined with new home construction is what defines Olde Towne,” Davis said.

According to Davis, Olde Towne is the first new home development in Atmore in more than 25 years.

“It’s definitely time in our community to offer this kind of development, and we’ve never had one with so many amenities,” she added.

The subdivision, which is located off of McRae Street, offers 50 home sites with tree-lined streets, sidewalks and decorative street lighting.

Richard Maxwell, president of Maxwell Construction Company, added that these amenities are what make Olde Towne unique.

“We wanted this to be a little different,” he said. “We’re trying to have the whole subdivision have a theme, make it like a neighborhood in the 1940s and 1950s. We’ve got the sidewalks and street lamps, we want to have people visiting with neighbors.”

It is also the first subdivision ever to have a homeowner’s association and offers restrictive covenants along with city water and sewer services, something Davis said has garnered much positive attention from the community.

“People are saying how glad they are to have the option to build with utilities,” she said.

Maxwell said the need for this type of development has made itself apparent in recent years.

“When people come into a community, a lot of people are interested in buying new houses, and increased activity started after Hurricane Ivan with people wanting to move inland and away from the coast,” he said. “With the casino and Rivercane being built, we’re seeing Atmore as having a little bit of its own economic generator and see it growing even more in the next few years because of these things.”

Another draw for buyers is the ability to “go green” with their building.

“This is something we are very conscious of,” Davis said. “Forty-six percent of buyers today consider energy efficiency the most important aspect in buying a home, and we can offer it to them. If the buyer wants to do this then Maxwell Construction has the tools to serve today’s green-conscious consumers.”

Spec houses will begin construction soon and will be ready in the next few months.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity, and Southern Real Estate is ready to answer all questions,” Davis said.

Maxwell agreed.

“We’re optimistic that it will be well received, and we look forward to developing this neighborhood for younger generations up to those of retirement age,” he said.

Interested buyers can choose from pre-drawn home designs or bring their own to be reviewed. Prices for the homes start in the $160,000 range.

[10101000]

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm108/timothychase/image003-1.png
Monday, November 17, 2008 By CONNIE BAGGETTStaff Reporter
ATMORE — With 45 days to go until the gaming floor opening, construction workers swarmed like ants Friday at Wind Creek Casino.

"It's crunch time," said Brent Pinkston, vice president of marketing for PCI Gaming. "We are between 80 and 85 percent completed, and we are down to the details."

Men and women worked feverishly to set electronic bingo machines in place, pull wiring, paint hotel bathrooms, and to lay tile and paving bricks.

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In the corporate office, behind the casino, a flashing digital clock steadily counted down the time left to the casino opening on Jan. 6 — 45 days, 21 hours, 28 minutes and 29 seconds.

Three weeks later, on Jan. 31, the resort will open its 232-room hotel, which towers over the site, just off Interstate 65 at the Alabama 21 exit, north of Atmore.

From the wavelike structure on the top of the building to the ground below, the resort will blend native motifs and the glitz of Las Vegas.

The name of the resort, Wind Creek, is a reference to the branch of Indians who make up the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama: the Wind Clan.

Hiring is under way, with some 400 jobs open at the $260 million resort. Poarch Band of Creek Indians tribal chairman Buford Rolin said the resort expects to have an annual payroll in excess of $2 million, with some 900 workers when the facility is at full throttle. Payroll begins at about $8 an hour for some jobs and management jobs pay $30,000 annually and up.

"Most of the management, supervisory slots have been filled," Pinkston said, but we will be hiring people for the hotel, food and beverage outlets, gaming and retail sections beginning in one week. Our new Web site went live yesterday, and people can apply online there at windcreekcasino.com or at PCIGaming.com or at our business office here at the casino."

Pinkston said the economic downturn has not had a negative impact on the Poarch Creek Entertainment Center, but rather has driven up business. He said higher gas prices made the choice more attractive to people from Pensacola and Mobile who didn't want to drive to Biloxi for gaming.

Atmore casino pushes to get ready
Page 2 of 2
The next few weeks will be packed with activity as builders turn over the structure to managers, Pinkston said.

A water tower built across Interstate 65 to serve the resort is nearly done, as is a fire station built on the water tower property. Both were built for Wind Creek, Pinkston said.

Although the fire station, which will be staffed by the Poarch Band of Creeks, was built primarily to protect the resort, its firefighters will answer calls from elsewhere in the area as well.

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In four months, the 80,000-square-foot gaming room went from skeletal metal frames to a carpeted and painted structure ready for the 1,600 bingo machines, which operate, sound and look like standard slot machines.

For years, Poarch Creeks and the state have been locked in a battle over the tribe's right to offer Class III gaming, such as dice tables, blackjack, poker and roulette.

Federal law allows tribes, as sovereign nations, to introduce bingo halls on tribal lands. The law also empowers tribes to negotiate with state governments to set up Class III gaming if the states prohibit it otherwise.

But Alabama governors have steadfastly refused to negotiate with the tribe, and even after lawsuits, the Poarch Creeks can provide only electronic bingo games.

But what Poarch Creeks can't offer in gaming, Pinkston said, they will make up for in luxury.

[10101000]

Casino opens Tuesday

By Adam Prestridge
Published: Monday, January 5, 2009 9:52 AM CST
The long-awaited grand opening of the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel is merely hours away, and officials with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians are busy today adding the final touches to the facility’s 50,000-square-foot gaming floor.

Tuesday, the bells and lights on the 1,600 electronic bingo games housed on the ground floor of the 17-story resort will begin ringing and flashing, and some of the Vegas-type luxuries will be available for customers.

“The Tribe is extremely excited with the level of gaming experience that we are going to be able to provide to our current customers and to the new customers we want to attract to our Wind Creek property” Creek Indian Enterprises President and CEO Tim Martin said. “At the same time, we certainly want to thank the patrons as well as the many employees that worked with us with Poarch Creek Bingo Palace and as it evolved into the Creek Entertainment Center. We’re excited about our future and what we’re going to be able to provide to our new customers, but we’re also appreciative and thankful of both the customers and the employees that have helped us evolve to the level of gaming that we are bringing to the Gulf Coast.”

The gaming floor at Wind Creek features 500 more bingo machines than the Creek Entertainment Center, which is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. on Monday in preparation for the opening of Wind Creek at 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to PCI Gaming Director of Advertising and Public Relations Lori Sawyer. In addition to high-tech gaming, the first floor also features numerous food and beverage amenities.

A bar area called The Drink will act as a centerpiece of the main floor with two sides for bartenders to serve customers. It will include a water feature that trickles down glass into a pond with an infinity edge. A huge rock wall divides each side of the bar area and serves as a backdrop for the water feature, which will also serve as The Drink’s signage with water cascading behind it. The bar will also feature tabletop games and two 60-inch plasma screen televisions mounted to the rock wall.

“These amenities will help keep customers entertained while they are in the casino,” Martin said.

There will also be several additional bar areas and lounges located throughout the facility including a VIP lounge and a circular bar at The Sound, the casino’s entertainment venue. The Sound will feature a full stage, greenroom, hardwood dance floor and banquette seating. According to Creek Indian Enterprises Construction Project Controls Manager James R. Angus, P.E., The Sound will seat between 85-to-90 people.

The Fire, a high-end steakhouse, will be the casino’s premier restaurant offering premium steaks carved by the facilities onsite butcher. A 24-hour caf/ called The Grill will offer visitors made-to-order hot meals or they can choose from five different cuisines offered at The Taste, Wind Creek’s buffet. The Taste offers American, Italian, Mexican, Asian and food as well as a wide selection of sweets on the dessert bar. A coffee shop called The Brew will help perk visitors up by offering a variety of coffees and sandwiches.

“We’re excited and ready,” Martin said. “I think the people are going to be pleasantly surprised at the level of gaming experience we’re going to be able to provide to them. We also look forward to bringing further amenities to the facility in the coming months.”

Once the first floor is opened Tuesday morning, the clock will begin ticking on the second deadline for construction crews and PCI officials. The facility’s additional 16 floors featuring 236 state-of-the-art hotel rooms varying in size are scheduled to open on Jan. 26.

In addition to indoor entertainment, Wind Creek will also offer an outdoor amphitheater with a 2,000 person seating capacity at the edge of a huge pond, which will be located where the current gaming facility now operates. A culinary school and spa will be located on an island in the middle the pond, surrounded by sidewalks and patio areas. A large infinity pool will also be located outside the casino for guests to enjoy. Martin said these amenities are scheduled to open in June.

http://www.atmoreadvance.com/articles/2009/01/05/news/news1.txt

[OCA REP]

Casino opens Tuesday

By Adam Prestridge
Published: Monday, January 5, 2009 9:52 AM CST
The long-awaited grand opening of the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel is merely hours away, and officials with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians are busy today adding the final touches to the facility’s 50,000-square-foot gaming floor.

Tuesday, the bells and lights on the 1,600 electronic bingo games housed on the ground floor of the 17-story resort will begin ringing and flashing, and some of the Vegas-type luxuries will be available for customers.

“The Tribe is extremely excited with the level of gaming experience that we are going to be able to provide to our current customers and to the new customers we want to attract to our Wind Creek property” Creek Indian Enterprises President and CEO Tim Martin said. “At the same time, we certainly want to thank the patrons as well as the many employees that worked with us with Poarch Creek Bingo Palace and as it evolved into the Creek Entertainment Center. We’re excited about our future and what we’re going to be able to provide to our new customers, but we’re also appreciative and thankful of both the customers and the employees that have helped us evolve to the level of gaming that we are bringing to the Gulf Coast.”

The gaming floor at Wind Creek features 500 more bingo machines than the Creek Entertainment Center, which is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. on Monday in preparation for the opening of Wind Creek at 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to PCI Gaming Director of Advertising and Public Relations Lori Sawyer. In addition to high-tech gaming, the first floor also features numerous food and beverage amenities.

A bar area called The Drink will act as a centerpiece of the main floor with two sides for bartenders to serve customers. It will include a water feature that trickles down glass into a pond with an infinity edge. A huge rock wall divides each side of the bar area and serves as a backdrop for the water feature, which will also serve as The Drink’s signage with water cascading behind it. The bar will also feature tabletop games and two 60-inch plasma screen televisions mounted to the rock wall.

“These amenities will help keep customers entertained while they are in the casino,” Martin said.

There will also be several additional bar areas and lounges located throughout the facility including a VIP lounge and a circular bar at The Sound, the casino’s entertainment venue. The Sound will feature a full stage, greenroom, hardwood dance floor and banquette seating. According to Creek Indian Enterprises Construction Project Controls Manager James R. Angus, P.E., The Sound will seat between 85-to-90 people.

The Fire, a high-end steakhouse, will be the casino’s premier restaurant offering premium steaks carved by the facilities onsite butcher. A 24-hour caf/ called The Grill will offer visitors made-to-order hot meals or they can choose from five different cuisines offered at The Taste, Wind Creek’s buffet. The Taste offers American, Italian, Mexican, Asian and food as well as a wide selection of sweets on the dessert bar. A coffee shop called The Brew will help perk visitors up by offering a variety of coffees and sandwiches.

“We’re excited and ready,” Martin said. “I think the people are going to be pleasantly surprised at the level of gaming experience we’re going to be able to provide to them. We also look forward to bringing further amenities to the facility in the coming months.”

Once the first floor is opened Tuesday morning, the clock will begin ticking on the second deadline for construction crews and PCI officials. The facility’s additional 16 floors featuring 236 state-of-the-art hotel rooms varying in size are scheduled to open on Jan. 26.

In addition to indoor entertainment, Wind Creek will also offer an outdoor amphitheater with a 2,000 person seating capacity at the edge of a huge pond, which will be located where the current gaming facility now operates. A culinary school and spa will be located on an island in the middle the pond, surrounded by sidewalks and patio areas. A large infinity pool will also be located outside the casino for guests to enjoy. Martin said these amenities are scheduled to open in June.

http://www.atmoreadvance.com/articles/2009/01/05/news/news1.txt

This place has been getting TONS of TV advertising here in Montgomery.

[10101000]

I went to Atmore to visit some relatives over Christmas and could not believe how massive it was.

[10101000]

http://www.windcreekcasino.com/default.aspx

[10101000]

Wednesday, January 07, 2009 By CONNIE BAGGETTStaff Reporter
ATMORE — After a months-long advertising blitz, Wind Creek Casino opened for business Tuesday to a capacity crowd of 3,000 visitors, who kept the resort's bingo machines busy and restaurants full, managers said.

"We had a $15,000 winner within the first 15 minutes," said Brent Pinkston, vice president of marketing for PCI Gaming. "It has been a crazy day here."

Parking lots were jammed with license plates from northern Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas and even Illinois. Pinkston said the crowd overflowed parking lots most of the day, with many first-time visitors to the bingo operation at Interstate 65's exit 57.

Buses arrived early from across the region, said Buford Rolin, tribal chairman for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which owns Wind Creek Casino & Hotel.

"I was there early in the morning and stopped back by at lunch, and every machine was busy. People were waiting in line for a turn," Rolin said. "The valet parking was full. I had to park a long way off. It's overwhelming."

Gamers said the casino was beyond their expectations, but several said they hadn't expected to wait in line to play. Most praised the new entertainment venue and the food, even though lines were long.

Although the Wind Creek Casino holds 1,600 electronic bingo games virtually indistinguishable from slot machines, there are no Class III games such as poker, blackjack or roulette. For years, the Poarch Creeks have sought unsuccessfully an agreement with the governor's office to allow Class III games.

The upcoming weeks should give PCI Gaming some idea how well their $240 million gamble on expanded electronic bingo and a luxury hotel and resort will pay off.

Four restaurants and the gaming floor will be open daily. The 16-floor hotel tower with more than 230 rooms will open later this month.

The resort eventually will employ about 400 people.

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1231323378134680.xml&coll=3

[Dixieboy]

I live in Atmore and this is definitely a change for us. Some of the posters are probably correct about the casino not drawing many Mobile residents, but we do seem to get our share of people coming from Pensacola as well as people from northern states passing through. The biggest challenge to the city of Atmore is cleaning up the north side of town, which is somewhat...ugh.. ghetto/trashy. They can't force those people to move out of sight so it's going to be slow progress there. The people who exit I-65 really won't have a need to drive through Atmore anyways, but the people coming from Pensacola will. From what I understand the city of Atmore is also supposed to build a police sub station near the casino so our officers won't be constantly running back and forth (the casino is 8 miles north of town). Atmore may be a small town, but we have enough petty crime here to keep our cops busy. :rolleyes:

And FWIW, I have played the slot machines and they operate the same way as the ones in Biloxi. There is a little irrelevant screen which shows a bingo card (makes it legal), but nobody pays any attention to it.

Lastly, to the poster who said his parents came and hated it... the casino was in a temporary metal building at that time. That building will be removed now that the permanent one has been completed.

[OCA REP]

I live in Atmore and this is definitely a change for us. Some of the posters are probably correct about the casino not drawing many Mobile residents, but we do seem to get our share of people coming from Pensacola as well as people from northern states passing through. The biggest challenge to the city of Atmore is cleaning up the north side of town, which is somewhat...ugh.. ghetto/trashy. They can't force those people to move out of sight so it's going to be slow progress there. The people who exit I-65 really won't have a need to drive through Atmore anyways, but the people coming from Pensacola will. From what I understand the city of Atmore is also supposed to build a police sub station near the casino so our officers won't be constantly running back and forth (the casino is 8 miles north of town). Atmore may be a small town, but we have enough petty crime here to keep our cops busy. :rolleyes:

And FWIW, I have played the slot machines and they operate the same way as the ones in Biloxi. There is a little irrelevant screen which shows a bingo card (makes it legal), but nobody pays any attention to it.

Lastly, to the poster who said his parents came and hated it... the casino was in a temporary metal building at that time. That building will be removed now that the permanent one has been completed.

Welcome to the Forums!

The facility looks very nice. I hope to check it out on a trip south sometimes...

[Kent05]

Tim - thanks for the updates! Wind Creek looks really nice, and is the biggest thing to hit Escambia County in, well, forever.

I'm planning to visit my parents in a few months (I'm from Flomaton but live in Boston now) and will definitely put Wind Creek on my schedule!

[initiald]

From I-65 before New Years:

http://www.pbase.com/bz3rk/image/107969530.jpg

[Dixieboy]

There's lights around the top and at night they slowly change colors... blue, to pink, to yellow, to green.....kinda like those fiber optic lights.

[Dixieboy]

I went out to eat at the buffet restaurant tonight so I took my camera with me. The pictures are a little crappy but you get the idea. Notice how the color is red in one pic and then yellow in the other. The place was pretty packed tonight for a Thursday.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/escambiaguy/windcreek.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/escambiaguy/windcreek2.jpg

[10101000]

Nice, I never noticed these.