The Cowlitz Tribe started work on its event center this month, setting the stage for yet another attraction in northern Clark County.
The center is expected to open in the spring. Its exterior was built with the rest of the Ilani Casino Resort, which opened in April. Now, crews are tasked with turning the cavernous space into a high-end hall, capable of seating 2,500 for concerts and conventions.
“We are not ‘breaking ground’ in a traditional sense of excavating foundations. In an effort to minimize disruption to the site, we built the structural steel frame of the event center when we built the casino,” said Paul Tresnan of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, which jointly oversees the casino with the Cowlitz Tribe.
Though it was originally slated to open in the fall, Tresnan said they waited to start working on the venue to “ensure our planning, programming and budget is aligned” with the rest of casino operations.
