What the casino means to Schenectady

Tens of millions in tax revenue, 1,200 new jobs, 2.8 million annual visitors and jumps in property value across Schenectady.

Those are some of the benefits expected from the new Rivers Casino coming to Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, which was the topic of the Albany Business Review’s Casinos Power Breakfast, held Friday at Key Hall at Proctors in Schenectady.

Mary Cheeks, the general manager of the forthcoming Rivers Casino, said the hiring process is already underway for jobs and that about 10 percent of them will be management positions. The response so far?

“Overwhelming,” Cheeks said.

The casino is just starting to look for vendors, Cheeks said, but there is no minimum size requirement for businesses interested in working with the casino, which is expecting 2.8 million visitors in its first full year of operation.

Cheeks was one of four panelists at Albany Business Review’s Power Breakfast on Friday. She was joined byDavid Buicko, COO of The Galesi Group, Ray Legere, co-owner of the Legere Group, and Steady Moono, the president of Schenectady County Community College.

Buicko said both the casino project and the other pieces of the Mohawk Harbor construction are on-time and on-budget so far. Along with the casino, the site will include 204 apartment units, 47,000 square feet of retail space and two hotels. But the goal, Buicko said, isn’t to draw business away from downtown Schenectady, which has seen its own revival in recent years.

“We’re not out to compete with downtown, but to complement downtown,” Buicko said.

Kehoe, Todd. “Schenectady Rivers Casino Benefits Include Jobs, Revenue and Tax Base – Albany Business Review.” Albany Business Review, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2016.


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