About 250 people attended yesterday’s groundbreaking ceremony for Wild Rose Jefferson.

Local dignitaries including the Mayor of Jefferson Craig Berry, all the Greene County Board of Supervisors, the Jefferson City Council members and the Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation all came for one of the most important events in the county’s history.

Guy Richardson with GGCGC talked about why this was such an historic event.

“I think this signifies a real start in growth for Greene County again.  Just sort of a re-emergence, we haven’t seen that growth in a long time.  I think we’ll start to gain population with all the jobs and so I think this jumpstarts us in the right direction and really turns it around from losing population to gaining population.”

Wild Rose Chief Operating Officer and President Tom Timmons said the project started 490 days ago when then landowner of where the casino will be placed, Kim Rueter came to Wild Rose Entertainment.  Following the 3-2 approval vote by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission this past June, the $40-million facility has already begun work leveling the 40-acre area on the northwest corner of US Highway 30 and Iowa Highway 4.

Wild Rose will be using all local companies for the construction of the project along with the conceptual drawings and the layout.  DLR Group is the architect while Edge Companies from Grimes is the general contractor.  Snyder and Associates of Ankeny was used for the civil engineering aspect, McAninch Corporation of Des Moines provides the site preparation, Jensen Construction Company of Des Moines will be building the foundation and Mid-States Steel Corporation of Boone is providing the structural steel and construction services.

Timmons points out that the facility will add another 275 jobs to the local economy and plans are to have the facility open to the public by next summer in August of 2015.