Gaming loan signing ceremony Friday in Churchrock

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. is about to fulfill his promise of bringing the first casino to the Navajo Nation.

“There is a signing ceremony Friday at Churchrock Chapter,” Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise General Counsel Ray Etcitty said Wednesday.

“The Budget and Finance Committee has approved the loan, the attorneys and all the necessary people have put together the documents for the loan package, and at 10 a.m. Friday will be the signing ceremony. Mr. Shirley and Mr. Winter will be having guest officials and they will be signing all of the necessary loan documents, promissory notes, and collateral documents that will officially consummate the loan.”

The Enterprise announced Tuesday that it has selected a construction management company to oversee construction and risk management for the Church Rock Chapter casino project.

Joint venture partners The Killian Group of Companies and Kennedy Wendel LLC will provide construction management and general contractor services to the Enterprise.

“We are honored to have this joint venture fulfill this important role and are confident their association offers the experience and cultural sensitivity necessary to make this project successful,” said Winter. “Kennedy Wendel is especially experienced in providing construction services in Indian Country.”

Rated a Top 400 General Contractor by Engineering News-Record, The Killian Group has been managing construction for more than three generations. The firm is owned and led by William F. Killian. The Church Rock Chapter Casino project joins a long list of resort and hotel projects such as the Palace Casino Resort and Chateau on the Lake.

“The Killian Group appreciates the opportunity to take part in such a historical moment in Navajo history and we are honored to develop their first casino,” Killian’s vice president of operations Ron Barrett said in a press release.

“As a prototype for future economic development, we are excited about this landmark endeavor and look forward to its successful opening.”

The other half of the joint venture, Kennedy Wendel, is a Native American-owned construction company. Adam Kennedy, president, is a member of the Seneca Tribe of New York and has been dedicated to building in Indian Country with an all-Native team for more than 20 years. His work includes the billion-dollar Seneca Gaming Corp.

“We will now be working on the contracts for the Churchrock project,” Etcitty said. “We pretty much have our preliminary designs, schematics for the site, and the floor plan put together. Within the next month, give or take a few days, we will probably be doing groundbreaking. We are still shooting for an opening in the fall.

“All the contractors, subs, and architects are just waiting for their money and the moment this [signing] happens, it will start. No one does work for free,” Etcitty said.