By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com
Construction will begin on the hotel at the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway by Oct. 5.
After previously being granted an extension on a construction deadline by the Unified Government Board of Commissioners, the casino has decided to move forward on building a hotel.
"Consistent with the Unified Government/Kansas Entertainment Development agreement, I am pleased to report that the Kansas Entertainment Board has resolved to authorize me to provide notice of our readiness to commence the development of the Hollywood Casino hotel," said Bob Sheldon in a letter to the Unified Government. "We will be working with staff to coordinate the next steps."
The UG and casino agreed in February on a deadline extension.
Had the casino not moved forward with the hotel portion of the project, they would have owed a $1 million penalty fee to the UG.
