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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2017)
FEBRUARY 15, 2017 S moke S ignals 17 Spirit Mountain Casino wraps up remodel By Brent Merrill Smoke Signals staff writer Spirit Mountain Casino has a new look after an 82,000-square- foot, $13 million remodel project that was just completed in time to make a public statement. Spirit Mountain’s recently com- pleted remodel project was timed to be finished before the opening of the new Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s ilani Casino and Resort 15 miles north of the Portland metropolitan area in Ridgefield, Wash. Spirit Mountain Casino General Manager Stan Dillon said the prop- erty’s new theme is “Tried, True and Totally New” for the remodel launch that was approved by Trib- al Council in November 2015 and started in May 2016. “We are complete,” said Dillon while touring the remodeled casi- no floor. “We’re doing final walk- throughs to look at the fine details.” Dillon said the project was “very Photos by Michelle Alaimo aggressive” in that the casino Spirit Mountain Casino’s remodel includes new carpet, lighting displays and ceiling fixtures giving the casino an remained open throughout the entirely new look and feel. remodel construction and was com- pleted ahead of schedule. He had the statue raised off the “It was a real challenge and ground and the walls to the buf- scary because something like fet opened up to make more of a that can really affect your showcase for the statue than it had revenue and that was one of in front of the Legends restaurant my biggest fears going into entrance. the remodel of the casino,” “My goal was to put Martha up in Leno said the positives from the said Dillon. “We formulated a place where she could be up in the new entrance area are going to add a plan to help minimize that air because it is a beautiful statue,” up quickly. and part of that plan was to said Dillon. “We have that spot to “We put 200 more machines out take the existing poker room try to elevate her and make her on the floor by adding that back en- and move it.” more prominent. I’ve gotten a lot tryway,” said Leno, who also sits on Dillon moved the poker of compliments and people are glad As part of Spirit Mountain Casino’s the Spirit Mountain Gaming Board room to The Peak and used she has her own area like that.” of Directors that runs the casino. the former poker room as a remodel, the Poker Room is now located in Dillon said he had a picture of “I think putting that entrance out staging area to move banks The Peak gaming area. Sands with her prized baskets there by the highway was a big im- of slot machines like chess blown up to make a 3-by-5-foot provement – probably one of the most pieces. He said using that space tion and have the vast remodel of canvas print that now hangs in the cost-effective moves we did down to stage each individual section in Spirit Mountain completed before entrance to the buffet waiting area. there. I think that was really one of while those areas were shut down the Cowlitz Tribe opens its casino. Dillon said he will bring in other the best improvements we made.” and remodeled turned out to be key “I wanted the guests to come to historic pictures of Sands to hang As he walked through the remod- in getting the project completed Spirit Mountain and see what we in the area and that the long bench eled property, Dillon pointed out a ahead of schedule. look like today so that if they go up seat will be removed and replaced new ceiling lighting system that Dillon said that logistical strate- to the Cowlitz property to see it, it with large, comfortable chairs for allows him to control the colors gy shaved weeks off the final com- may look nice and it might look dif- people to sit in while they wait to and movement of the ceiling from pletion date and that contractors ferent, but it isn’t going to be that be seated. an iPad in his desk. He said he can improved as they went along. much nicer than we are. That was “Now my goal is to improve the change the patterns and colors to “We just kept staging all through my goal,” Dillon said. lighting and put a fountain in there fit any theme the casino is hosting. the casino with the goal of it being Dillon said he is particularly (next to the statue),” said Dillon. For instance, he can turn the ceiling a one-year process because of the proud of the newly designed area “She is becoming the focal point of green, for example, on St. Patrick’s sheer size of the project,” said Dil- known as The Peak. He said it is this whole area.” Day if he desires. lon. “As we started going we started now the largest non-smoking ca- Now that the casino remodel The property boasts a brand new getting our production down and sino room in Oregon and that the is complete other than a few fine lighting scheme as well. The light- the sections we remodeled got big- room now has its own bar with an details, Dillon said he will turn his ing is brighter than it has been in ger and that helped speed us up. exclusive menu, a cashier cage, a attention to Spirit Mountain Lodge. the past 20 years and guests have We took a one-year project and sped marketing stage, the poker room, The casino’s board of directors has noticed. it up to seven and a half months, the keno desk, and a variety of slot asked him to go forward with re- “I want the casino to have the which is unbelievable to me.” and table games. modeling 100 rooms. ability to change. I want that flexi- Tribal Council Chairman Reyn “This is now one of my favorite “We have 250 rooms and we have bility,” said Dillon. “We can change Leno said people have been telling rooms,” said Dillon. only remodeled 140,” said Dillon. the color of that ceiling to any color him that they like the new design. Dillon said adding the new north “What we need to do today, espe- in the spectrum in a second. We can “I think the remodel really gives entrance and opening up that cially with new competition in our create motion. It really is open to you even more of a Las Vegas-style area to as many as 200 more slot market – they are going to build a the imagination.” gaming facility,” said Leno. “It is machines has not only raised rev- hotel and we know that. It’s going Leno said guests have noticed the very updated and very clean. It is enue from the floor but provided a to be the same size and it’s going difference in the lighting. a nice place to go out. We want to much-needed clearing of the smoke to be a strong competitor so in “The older people I think really keep the place where people want to that used to gather in that end of order to maintain our guests and enjoy it more lit up,” said Leno. “It come and have a good experience.” the building. He said adding the our VIP guests, we need to refresh really has brightened up the place Dillon selected I-5 Design and new entrance also changed the the product and we need to look and it looks nice.” Manufacture Inc. of Lacey, Wash., parking structure of the parking lot at that.” Without officially changing the to do the remodel project. I-5 Design and that a once hardly used area Dillon said it will be his goal to name, Dillon has essentially creat- has been in business since 1985 and is now a busy area of the property. bring the lodge up to the standards ed the Martha Jane Sands’ Cedar the company started as I-5 Signs “We were able to increase the air of the rest of the property now that Plank Buffet by moving one of the and grew into a multi-million dollar flow and we increased the traffic the casino remodel is complete. Tribe’s most visible pieces of art. company that specializes in design- flow through the building,” said Dil- “That would maintain us as a pre- Dillon said he moved the iconic ing and remodeling retail spaces. lon. “It’s not as smoky as it was and mier destination and competitor,” Tribal statue of Sands to the en- Dillon said he wanted to get out players are more dispersed now and said Dillon. trance of the Cedar Plank Buffet. ahead of the impending competi- that really improved the air flow.”
