The
ad claims 600 good jobs with an average salary of $27,000.
Actually
600 jobs is what might be if the full project is completed.
That includes the proposed restaurants, hotel, golf course, and housing
developments. The initial plans are
to build the casino first with no timeframe on other plans.
This brings the number of jobs to only between 300 and 350.
Mr. Massa was recently quoted in the newspaper that the newest slot
machines (faster) take fewer people to run and jobs are being reduced at the
casinos through attrition now.
The
last time Mr. Joe Massa, the Catfish Bend General Manager, was questioned he
admitted that the “average salary would be around $23,000,” and that would
include tips. Mr. Kehl’s Casino
in Clinton is currently advertising positions that are needed on his riverboat
through the Iowa Workforce Development job search website.
His ad currently shows a need for six openings as deckhand, change
person, slot staff, count team, food and beverage, and security. The salary
listed is $6.45 per hour. That translates to 13,416 per year. That looks more like poor jobs that will not boost our
economy rather add a strain requiring low-income housing, and county assistance
programs for those people to survive. It certainly will not cause many people to
give up good jobs in Johnson, and Linn Counties to go to work at the casino.
Adam
Richards is quoted, and pictured on the ad.
Mr. Richards is the managing partner of the Riverside Travel Mart.
The Riverside Travel Mart will be located in a prime position in relation
to the area proposed for the casino. Casinos
always provide transportation to and from their facility for groups of people
and will no doubt need fuel to run their shuttles.
With a projected 1.4 million admissions at the casino traffic passing in
front of the Travel Mart will undoubtedly result in more sales. Unfortunately
this will be one of the very few, if not the only business in the county that
will gain from this location
