Casino is the right project for C.R., Iowa

It is unbelievable that Riverside Casino & Golf Resort would assert that they have so much business coming from Linn County while they give little back to support the county.

The details were laid out in Rick Smith's Feb. 2 article (“Gaming Investor: Competing casinos fail to give back to Linn, C.R.”) describing how minuscule the amount of charitable donations is returned to Linn County non-profits.

If Dan Kehl and Riverside receive “X” amount of revenue from Linn County, then Linn County deserves to see “X” amount put back into our non-profits.

This project is the right project for Cedar Rapids, Linn County and Iowa.

It is a much different project than the previously proposed casino. That had to be on a riverboat that would have to navigate the Cedar River. As we all know, the Cedar can vary in depth greatly. It was simply the wrong option at the wrong time.

The casino site was devastated by the flood and will be an important addition to our tax base moving forward.

Our community has come together post flood and the Cedar Crossing Casino will be another fantastic attraction for Linn County.

Bill Barnes

Cedar Rapids