Expansion continues at Black Oak Casino Resort with new pool area – Union Democrat

Leaders with the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, the Tuolumne Economic Development Authority Inc. and Black Oak Casino Resort held a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday next to the resorts hotel for a new pool area that will be called The Water, the next phase of expansion at one of Tuolumne Countys top economic engines.

Darryl Tinkle, TEDA president, said the new pool area is expected to be complete by July 3. It will include an adults-only pool area and spa with a bar and lounge, room for dances and pool parties, and a kids water area with a water structure consisting of slides and water features, with a maximum capacity of 746 people total.

Building the new pool area will create 300 to 400 jobs, Tinkle said. The contractor is Santa Ana-based Moorefield Construction Inc., which has worked closely with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians the past seven years to expand Morongo Casino Resort and Spa on tribal land in Riverside County, Larry Moorefield said.

The Water project is part of a multiphase expansion of Black Oak Casino Resort that began with construction of Elevate, the new 20,000-square-foot family fun center that opened next to the resort in December. Elevate is now open 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Friday each week and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Tinkle said TEDA is investing millions of dollars in phased expansions. The Water project is the second of multiple expansion phases, with more yet to be announced.

We want to thank everybody for the support throughout this process, Tinkle told more than 50 people who gathered for the ceremony Thursday afternoon. The TEDA board, the tribe, officers, management here. I want to thank all you guys for your continued support trying to achieve something like this.

Not only are we achieving this phased expansion for ourselves but also for the community and for the staff. By putting investment into a project like this were helping all our staff to provide for their families, as well as jobs for the community. This is a big project for us. Its not going to be the last. Were going to continue to do it. Were always going to stay growing and supporting the locals here and providing an experience for all our guests and patrons.

Ty Day Jr., TEDA board president, thanked all Black Oak Casino Resort employees and emphasized that TEDA and the tribe cant accomplish their ambitions without their workers.

Twenty years ago, our elders started with a vision, and thats what theyve created here today, Day said. To expand on that vision were trying to create something to pass on to our next generation and to generations after that. We noticed we needed to create a better environment and experience for families and everyones children. Thats where our mindset is.

Kyle Cox, tribal vice chair, said Friday was a celebration of growth and community, not just the tribal community, but the community the tribe is part of Tuolumne township.

We work there, we go to school there, our kids go to school there, and we welcome them here to be part of our community, Cox said.

Lyn Baxter, general manager of Black Oak Casino, welcomed everyone at the ceremony and said, This is a tremendously humbling honor for the resort team because we are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, the elders that had the vision and the courage that its taken each step of the way. It takes courage to break ground as the team did here 22 years ago, and to go through all the changes and risks and negotiations with the local community and the state.

The initiatives that began the path leading to todays reality at Black Oak Casino Resort go back decades and decades, and some tribal elders Baxter has known were making trips to Washington, D.C. back before electricity almost, Baxter said.

So its meaningful and humbling for us to be able to stand on that, Baxter said. If it was not for our team members executing the vision, the play called in the huddle by the tribe, we wouldnt be here today. From dishwashers to the people who work on graveyard shifts to do heavy duty cleaning every single night to the people who work in parking and public safety and tribal security and the gaming commission, the best is getting better.

Moorefield told the gathering about Moorefield Construction, Inc.s work with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and other tribes for the past 15 years, and he said work on removing concrete on the currently paved work site will begin next week.

Wednesday we start taking this concrete up, Moorefield said. Were ready for the challenge and were ready to go for it.

Owned and operated by the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, the original Black Oak Casino opened its doors on May 15, 2001, in a temporary building with 600 slot machines and the cafe.

Today, the casino resort and its partner businesses employ more than 1,200 people and the property includes multiple buildings, more than 1,170 slot machines, 22 gambling tables, eight bars and restaurants, live entertainment, a video game arcade, a 24-lane bowling alley, a 148-room hotel, a full-service conference and event center, and an 85-space RV park with clubhouse, pool and spa.

Profits from legalized gambling and tribal leadership have helped transform the tribe from one of the most underserved groups in Tuolumne County to one of the region's leading employers and philanthropists.

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Expansion continues at Black Oak Casino Resort with new pool area - Union Democrat