03/05/2008

Associated Press

Wildhorse Resort & Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation will begin a $25 million expansion this summer to add more than 100 hotel rooms and a miniature version of the inundated Celilo Falls.

The project is planned for completion in the summer of 2009.

Wildhorse Chief Operating Officer Gary George said the goal is to become a destination resort. "We really want to upgrade the facility," he said.

Contractors are to begin infrastructure work this summer.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla own and operate Wildhorse Resort & Casino east of Pendleton.

Aside from the hotel expansion of higher-end suites, an outdoor courtyard and a swimming pool, plans call for a new casino entrance and more parking.

There will be a water feature outside to create a miniature version of Celilo Falls, George said.

Celilo Falls was a salmon-rich fishing and trading area on the Columbia River that was inundated when The Dalles Dam was completed in 1957, embittering many members of area tribes.

Plans include a grass amphitheater behind the falls, more gaming tables and an increase in slot machines from 800 to 1,200.

Architectural details and financing should be in place in about a year, George said.

The Wildhorse board and tribal council must approve the final design.

George said Wildhorse may build a bowling alley or a small multiplex cinema after a tribal delegation to Las Vegas determined some casinos did well running cinemas.

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Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.info