Late ’06 set for casino groundbreaking

Bridge Investment Group intends to have the groundbreaking for the planned hotel and casino in late 2006, the company’s local agent said.

Tinian resident and Bridge agent Philip Long said the new hotel and casino investor was scheduled to start clearing next month the property that it had leased for the new facility.

The architectural and engineering design for the project is expected to be completed by June 2006. With the processing of required government permits expected to take about four months, the groundbreaking should happen in late 2006, Long said.

“Construction should be finished by December 2007 or early 2008, so we could do a soft opening,” he added.

Long also disclosed Bridge Investment’s plan to enter into an agreement with Northern Marianas College to groom potential workers for the proposed hotel and casino.

According to him, the company is hoping NMC can tailor some of its programs to suit the investor’s future manpower needs.

“Once we hire a hotel management group, that group will be tasked with working with NMC here (Tinian campus) to ensure that we give the college enough lead time to develop the students for possible employment in our project,” Long said. “They’re (investors) not just coming out here and opening a hotel. They’re actually taking an active role in grooming the local population for what we’re going to need for the project.”

Last week, the Tinian Gaming Casino Control Commission granted Bridge Investment a conditional license to begin its 300-room hotel and casino resort project on Tinian.

In a public hearing, the four commissioners, headed by chair William M. Cing, unanimously voted to grant the licensing application of the investors led by U.S. presidential appointee to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Advisory Commission Rudy Pamintuan.

Bridge plans to invest over $100 million on the hotel and casino resort.

The business projects to add nearly $400,000 monthly revenues to the government in terms of taxes paid, which when combined with the present casino operator, Tinian Dynasty Hotel Casino, would total $800,000 a month in government income.

The industry is projected to give Tinian some $8.5 million revenue a year, or a 228-percent increase from the current level.