Caliente Casino breaks ground

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians last week held an official groundbreaking to begin construction of the tribe's new $80 million casino.

There was an air of festivity among some 100 guests who gathered beneath the big white tent set up on site at the intersection of Bob Hope Drive and

Looking around, we recalled a time, maybe 30 years ago, when nature held a more prominent place than 'celebrities' and their namesake demands. Then this meandering desert road was named Rio del Sol, the way to the sun. It still has the look of original desert - a rolling landscape whose rippled sands lie dotted with well spaced creosotes, whose stark white dunes in spring sprout a lush carpet of purple verbena wildflowers.

It seemed entirely appropriate that this still pristine patch of desert was back in the hands of its original Native American inhabitants.

Richard Milanovich acted the impresario, his azure-blue eyes darting sparks as he introduced the Tribal Council and the design team. He introduced representatives from every local tribe of Indians. When he announced the name of the new project Caliente Casino - a cheer bubbled up in the crowd. Surrounded by friends and supporters, the tribal chairman couldn't stop smiling.

After all, this is the first time the tribal government has undertaken a project on its own. Though President Grant established the reservation in 1876, "the meaning of self reliance has come to be a buzzword only in the last ten years," Milanovich reminded the crowd. "Prior to that Indians were on the dole. We remember going to the back of a truck to pick up cheese and cans of surplus food the government

delivered to us every

week. We have come very far, so let us celebrate this time together today."

The carefully selected team includes architect Joel Bergman, who helped create the Mirage, Treasure Island and the newly completed Paris Casino in Las Vegas, project consultant Ken Rosevear who worked on New York, New York and the MGM Grand, and landscape architect Don Brinkerhoff of the Ballagio and the Mirage. Builder is Roel Construction, a familyowned company now in its third generation.

"Caliente Casino will have more panache than any other Coachella Valley project," predicted Roel's ebullient CEO Stephen C. Roel.