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MEDFORD Community has a chance to weigh in on casino Feds will hold public hearing Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 16, 2015 at 12:25 PM Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 5:15 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 16, 2015 at 12:25 PM Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 5:15 PM » Social News A major step toward approving a $26 million casino in Medford by the Coquille Indian Tribe was set in motion this week by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The bureau will reach out to the community to determine the extent of an environmental review that will analyze the impacts of the casino, proposed on 2.4 acres of land in south Medford. The BIA will hold a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the North Medford High School Auditorium. Written comments on the scope of the environmental impact statement must be received by Feb. 17 and sent to Stanley Speaks, Northwest regional director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Northwest Region, 911 N.E. 11th Ave., Portland, OR 97232-4165. Include name, return address, and “DEIS Scoping Comments, Coquille Indian Tribe Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project” on the first page. Medford City Council will be pushing for a thorough review of the casino’s impacts on transportation, public safety and socioeconomic issues. “We want to make sure we’re looking pretty broadly at what the impacts are for the community,” Medford Councilor Daniel Bunn said. The city wants to know how the casino might affect minorities and low-income families, Bunn said. In the coming weeks, the city will prepare a letter explaining what it wants to explore, but Bunn said the city also will ask the BIA to allow it to help coordinate the environmental review because this city would be the most affected by a casino. “I hope they bring in the city of Medford as a partner,” he said. The Coquille tribe has proposed a casino at the Roxy Ann Lanes bowling alley, which is still operating, and at the former Kim's Restaurant on South Pacific Highway in south Medford. The tribe also has agreed to lease the nearby Bear Creek Golf Course. The tribes in Oregon all have Class III casinos, which allow craps, roulette, blackjack, other table games and video gaming. The Coquille tribe, which already has a casino in North Bend, has proposed a Class II gaming facility in Medford, which is limited to video gambling. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the areas of environmental concern that will be analyzed in the review include land resources, water resources, air quality, noise, biological resources, cultural/historical/archaeological resources, resource use patterns, traffic and transportation, public health and safety, hazardous materials and hazardous wastes, public services and utilities, socioeconomics, environmental justice, visual resources/aesthetics and cumulative, indirect and growth-inducing effects. The casino proposal has been opposed by local governments, Gov. John Kitzhaber and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, which operates Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville. While questions have arisen about whether Medford was part of the Coquille tribe’s historical lands, the tribe itself has maintained it has strong roots in this area. “In this case, we’ve said all along, the land taken into trust would be considered reservation land,” said Ray Doering, spokesman for the tribe. Susan Ferris, spokeswoman for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, said federal law requires a casino be built on ancestral land. “This is not Coquille ancestral land,” she said. “We are hopeful the (U.S.) Department of the Interior will make the lawful decision and not allow this project to proceed.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 16, 2015 at 12:25 PM Updated Jan 16, 2015 at 5:15 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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