DEADWOOD - The Deadwood City Commission barely blinked Monday when it approved a $2.9 million payment toward the construction of a resort and convention center next to U.S. Highway 85 at the top of Deadwood Hill.
The Lodge at Deadwood is to open in November, in time for the 20th anniversary of starting legalized gambling in the city.
The city of Deadwood owns the convention center portion of the building and will lease it to the developers. City officials have committed to making three payments to the developers during construction.
Work on the $47 million project began in July 2008, and The Lodge at Deadwood is on track to open in November despite heavy spring snow, according to project manager Ryan Wordeman of Spearfish. It will not be open for the 2009 Sturgis motorcycle rally, the largest annual tourism event in South Dakota.
The four-story resort complex will be tall enough for guests to see sweeping, panoramic views of the Black Hills and the plains of western South Dakota.
The 25-acre construction site will eventually house a casino and convention center, a hotel and restaurant and swimming area. When completed, the full-service, year-round resort will be ideal for business gatherings, casino gambling and entertainment, developers say.
Resort highlights include 140 guest rooms and suites, a convention center large enough to accommodate 1,700 people, a restaurant, a sports bar and a year-round indoor water park.
The resort's Las Vegas-style casino, with poker, blackjack and slot machines, was approved Nov. 24 by the South Dakota Commission on Gaming.
The public-private partnership was formed to address the need for large meeting facilities. With more than 16,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, The Lodge will help Deadwood compete for large regional and national gatherings, Wordeman said.
He said large conventions will mean business beyond the resort, needing every available hotel or motel in the area.
Regency Hotel Management has been hired to market and manage the hotel and convention business.
