Duluth, MN (Northlands NewsCenter)
-- Duluth leaders are strongly against Fond du Lac's application to place more land in trust in downtown Duluth and they've sent a letter letting the Bureau of Indian Affairs know their position.
The Fond du Lac Band has asked the Bureau to put the Carter Hotel, which stands directly across the alley from the Fond-du-Luth Casino, into trust which would allow them to expand the band's inner city gambling operation.
In 1986 the city and the Fond du lac Band entered an agreement to place land in downtown Duluth in trust for the tribe.
That agreement allowed the creation of a casino in downtown Duluth.
Since only Native Americans are allowed to operate casinos in Minnesota putting the land in trust created a mini reservation within the city.
In November Fond du Lac applied to have another acre of city land turned over to the band.
The band already does own this property right behind me called the Carter Hotel. They have owned it for about a year now but they have had to pay property taxes since the land is not in trust. This is something that the city of Duluth doesn't want to lose.
"The city has an interest in keeping city property within the city of Duluth. We would like to retain jurisdiction on property in the city of Duluth."
In the letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Gunner Johnson lists a number of reasons why entrusting the land to the band would hurt the city including an inability to expand its skyway system and maintain the city's sewer and gas lines.
The letter also listed lost revenue that would pay for city services including an greater than normal number of police and fire calls to the current casino.
But Tribal Chair Karen Diver feels the increased employment that would come to Duluth through an expansion to the Fond-du-Luth casino would more than pay for those losses.
"The band is actually pretty exited about the opportunity to perhaps move forward and hopefully make Fond-du-Luth a good anchor in old downtown that would fit in with some of the developments that's happened down there and to be a good neighbor."
But Diver says that can't happen without the band owning the land on which the Carter Hotel sits.
"The band will be expanding its employment but for the land to expand that facility, the land has to be in trust."
Diver said this is not something that she expects to happen quickly. It generally takes years for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make a decision.
Diver said that they are hopeful to use the land to expand the Fond-du-Luth casino but the band doesn't have a concrete plan for the Carter Hotel as yet.
Written for the web by: Zach Vavricka
zvavricka@northlandsnewscenter.com
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