Seneca Nation of Indians President Barry Snyder Sr. said Monday the nation hasn’t given up on its plans to add to its holdings in downtown Niagara Falls, but cooperation from the financial markets will be needed to help any future expansion efforts along.
Snyder, who visited the Falls on Monday to participate in the mid-year conference of the National Congress for American Indians, said there are no immediate plans to resume construction near Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel and the timing of any new developments in the city will depend, primarily, on the nation’s ability to borrow money for capital projects at reasonable interest rates.
“I think everything depends on the market,” Snyder said. “We’ve had expansion plans up here for a long time, all we would do is update them. We had hoped in the past that we would have the expansion plans backed with money by now, but the economy just changed.”
Last August, the Seneca Gaming Corp., citing the slumping economy and challenging market conditions, suspended construction on the $333 million Buffalo Creek Casino and a $130 million expansion at the Seneca Allegany Hotel and Casino. The announcement meant that long-term construction plans for the Seneca’s property in downtown Niagara Falls were placed on hold as well. Snyder expressed hope the nation would be able to resume construction soon and said the Falls still figures into the nation’s long-term plans.
“We’ve developed a lot in Niagara Falls and we need to develop more here,” he said.
The Buffalo Creek Casino appears to be the nation’s top priority at this time. On Monday, the Nation filed legal paperwork to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Citizens Against Casino Gaming in Erie County. The anti-gaming group’s suit seeks to close the temporary Buffalo casino and prevent construction of a permanent gaming facility on a 9-acre site near the Buffalo waterfront. The nation has asked U.S. District Court Judge William Skretny to allow it to become a party to the lawsuit. To date, the nation has served only as a “friend of the court,” not as a participant in the proceedings. Approval from Skretny would allow the nation to file pleadings, present arguments and take other legal action related to the case.
Snyder described the lawsuit as a direct threat to the nation and the ability of its people to protect their economic well-being. He said it is hoped that by intervening in the case the nation and its legal counsel will be able to more quickly resolve the long-standing legal squabble so that construction can resume at Buffalo Creek.
“I think it’s in the best interest of the nation to move forward in this direction,” Snyder said.
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