High rollers in Church Rock?
Shirley's plan for a casino brings support, doubts

Living in and near Church Rock, NM could change in the coming months with the addition of a new casino. The idea of a new casino has left some residents with mixed feelings associated with the heavy traffic and economic benefits the new business could bring to the area. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Staff Writer

Ernest D. Yazzie Jr. looks out of a window at the Church Rock Chapter House toward land that will be developed for the new business. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

CHURCH ROCK — Last week, President Joe Shirley Jr. announced that the tribe reached an agreement with JP Morgan Chase to provide a $100 million line of credit to develop casinos, with the first casino planned a few miles east of Church Rock Chapter.

But word about the casino has not exactly caught wind in the community, and there has been minimal discussion about how it will impact people locally.

"I head about the casinos, but I never heard of anything coming to Church Rock," said Jack Askan, 51, of Church Rock. "It's up to them (tribal officials)."

"We never talked about it," said Joe Begay, 49, of Church Rock. "We just heard about it."

Jobs
"I'm sure it will bring business, but I'm sure everyone is going to get hooked on it (gambling) too," Askan said.

Begay said the plans for a casino are coming from Window Rock, but once it is complete, he believes that the community will enjoy the casino.

Roberta Begay, 52, of Springstead, was in full support of the casino in the community, and said she has been anticipating a casino nearby for sometime.

"A lot of these young people are looking for jobs everywhere, but now they can have jobs near home," Begay said. "They can learn not to rely on their parents and the elderly."

A casino enthusiast, Begay said the casino will provide some entertainment for the community and casino goers will no longer have to travel to casinos far away.

Long overdue
Wind Eagle Hayes, 30, from Pinedale, said the casinos will be a good thing, and they are long overdue. Though he is not registered with Church Rock Chapter, he said the casino will impact his community, since it is only 20 miles away.

"That's the only way the tribe's going to see money," he said. "It's going to be more money, more jobs, more everything."

Roselyn Becenti, 28, of Pinedale, also had not heard about the casinos going up in the area, but said that the idea of casinos on the Navajo Nation will have a positive impact.

"Its probably good they're going to be here," she said. "The pueblo's make money from it."

"I heard something about it (the casino)," said Jennifer Hosteen, 25, of Church Rock. "But I didn't really pay attention to it." While Hosteen did not know about the proposed casino, she added that it would be a good thing, and would provide jobs for people in the area.

Vernon Yazzie, 22, of Church Rock, had not heard about the casinos. Johnson Begay, 28, also of Church Rock, also stated that he didn't know about the casinos.

Some people expressed disappointment that the tribe has not made efforts to get feedback from the community regarding the casino.

"We have no input at all," said Tamara Largo, 30, of Mariano Lake. "Even if they were to ask us, our comments wouldn't be taken at all."

Largo said the orders for a casino are coming from Window Rock, and are just being relayed to the community. She expressed concern about the logistics of parking and traffic.

"I don't know how they expect travelers to get there," said Largo. "All we hear is that they're going to do a casino."

Two other community members made it clear that they were disappointed with the tribe and their minimal involvement of the community, but declined to give their names.

Support
But Ernest Yazzie, Jr., council delegate for Church Rock Chapter, said a casino in Church Rock has been supported by a majority of the 2,000 registered voters. The number of voters in support of the casino was not readily available, but Yazzie estimates it is around 75 to 80 percent.

"They wanted jobs and it's good for the Nation," said Yazzie. "The casino is going to be making money for us not only here, but across the Navajo Nation."

The proposal is pending approval from the Navajo Nation Council, but the deal will allow the tribe to develop the Church Rock casino rather than seeking an outside developer to finance the casinos. The Church Rock casino is only one of five or six that is being proposed.

As part of the agreement, the Nation will not pay interest on the entire $100 million, but will only pay interest on the amount it draws against the line of credit. The bank is also not requiring the Navajo Nation to stand behind any monies borrowed, but instead the obligation can be turned over to the Navajo Gaming Enterprise once the casinos begin operating.

Yazzie said the money generation will be used for a broad range of services from scholarships to housing and money for seniors. He said there has not yet been discussion about any specific projects that generated funds might go towards.

Temporary building
Shirley also stated last week that a temporary facility will be built first so that the Church Rock casino can open and start generating revenue as soon as possible. A permanent structure will follow within a couple of years

The temporary location of the casino, Yazzie said, will be south of the train tracks between Cabinet Southwest and Eastern Agency Economic Development office. He said he did not know many of the details of the casino and stated that the efforts of the casino are being done more at a Nation level, and not at a chapter level.

"We left everything up to the President's Office," said Yazzie. "We let him call the shots."

He added that the community has been involved on some level, and withdrew the trust land for the casino to be built on for the tribe two years ago. Yazzie is in full support of the casinos.

"We're just so far behind other tribes," said Yazzie. "They're probably getting millions or billions of dollars and we haven't made a cent off casinos."