A casino and hotel complex that’s being proposed in Franklin County will now be built near Dows, just off Interstate-35, if state regulators give it the go ahead. Developer Gayle Burnett, of Rockford, says it’s a move of about six miles to the north for the Landmark Hotel and Casino, which was announced in 2005.
Burnett says they bought the original piece of land because it had water which had been a requirement of the state Racing and Gaming Commission for new casinos. Now that the requirement’s been removed, the 160-acre tract was sold to an area farmer, then Burnett and her husband purchased the new land for the proposed casino.
She says Ellsworth Community College of Iowa Falls and North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City would receive $250,000 in casino revenues from the proposed gambling place. She says blueprints for the casino are being drawn up. She says it’s much the same type of facility proposed before, "very upscale" and built to accommodate that particular site.
The Burnetts are waiting for a decision from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission on July 16th on the issuance of new gaming licenses. They face competition for proposed casinos in several areas, including Fort Dodge, Lyon County and Ottumwa.