BATTLE CREEK - The FireKeepers Casino will be Michigan's next, newest gaming facility, scheduled to open on or about Aug. 20, 2009.

Until that happens there's a lot of work to be done by the building trades. Construction began on May 12 on the site of a former cornfield on Michigan Avenue near exit 104 off of I-94. Some 200 Hardhats are plying their trade on the project, and that number will ramp up to 400 or so after the New Year.

"There's quality workmanship, good coordination, everything is on schedule, and we've had no surprises so far," said Ken Stephenson, general superintendent for Clark Construction Co., the construction manager. "Even the weather has been great."

Under construction is a 236,000 square-foot Las Vegas-style casino that will have room for 3,000 slot machines, 90 table games and 20 poker tables. An adjacent 2,500-car parking deck will also be constructed. Construction of a hotel, while not part of this project, is expected to follow.

The $300 million FireKeepers Casino is being built by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Tribe, and represents their first venture into gaming in Michigan. The casino will create about 1,500 permanent jobs. Litigation has held up construction of the casino for years.

"The Tribe is very pleased with the progress that we are making in the construction of FireKeepers Casino," said Huron Band Chairperson Laura Spurr. "We have waited a long time to bring economic development and jobs to not only tribal members but also to the greater Calhoun County region."

The site will include five restaurants, including a 70-seat fine dining signature restaurant, a 300-seat buffet, and a 150-seat, 24- hour coffee shop.

The single-level casino will feature a granite and limestone exterior, and that masonry is expected to be complete in mid-November. The interior, Stephenson said, will have nice finishes and "lots of low voltage lighting," to the tune of an $8 million lighting package. And an upgraded ventilation system will expedite the movement of cigarette smoke out of the facility, while bringing fresh air in.

Stephenson said the utilization of safety audits on the job and an enhanced focus on safety have led to zero lost-time accidents on the job as of Oct. 7. "The tribe have done walk-throughs and there have been nothing but accolades for the work that's being done," he said. "Our biggest challenge will be the really aggressive schedule. We're right on schedule, and we'll be enclosed and warm and dry by the end of October and ready for winter."

THE GRAND ENTRANCE - complete with this porte-cochere, or portico - at the FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek resembles a bird's beak. Fabricator and erector Douglas Steel reports that the beak is part of 1,300 tons of structural and miscellaneous iron that will go into the building. On the lifts in this photo are Iron Workers Local 340 members Mike Gangley and Bruce Murray, who are employed by Douglas.

PANEL STUBS at the casino are installed by Tod Rocco and Derek Bannister of IBEW Local 445 and Swan Electric.