On December 29, 2015 an environmental report was released to the public in Galt, California. The topic of the report was a new casino and hotel construction proposed for the small town. The casino resort will take 18 months of construction. The location is set for a few miles west of Highway 99 near Galt. The report shows the plans for the project to be north of Twin Cities Road. The environmental report considers the jobs, noise and traffic that will occur due to the construction and finished casino.
Galt has a population of 25,000 people and the casino resort has been the talk of Galt for weeks. One resident, Jenna Duncan, stated the casino will be a good thing and it will bring new job opportunities to the town.
The resort is a Wilton Rancheria tribe plan. They wish to transform the farmland into an Indian casino with slot machines, table games, and a 12 story hotel.
Another resident, George Adaza, said, “I think it’s a good idea for the economy, jobs for young people, and hopefully long lasting jobs.”
The tribal chairman, Raymond Hitchcock told media, “You have 2,000 jobs—that’s a huge economic driver for the community at large.”
The tribe is made up of 700 members currently. About 62 percent of the tribe are living in poverty levels set by the federal government. This means the jobs will help raise these tribe members to a better economic position.
Not everyone is in support of the project that will use a 282 acre site. There are those who are not happy with the impact of tourism and more traffic.
Antonia Marroquin of Galt said, “Bad idea. I don’t agree. This is a quiet town and I want it to stay quiet.”
The proposal for the casino is laid out in the environmental impact study, which is 716 pages and available for public comment over the next 45 days.