Peninsula Pacific Entertainment announced last week that it would pay the full $35 million that it had promised to build the sports complex as soon as ground is broken on the $325 million casino near the foot of the I-10 Twin Span bridges over Lake Pontchartrain.
And yesterday the company handed over a $100,000 check handed to St. Tammany Corp., the parish’s economic development agency, to study the project.
The announcement of the sports complex money comes as the public relations campaign for the proposed casino sputters. More local government leaders are going on record in opposition to the casino, including Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer and the Slidell City Council, and Mandeville Mayor Clay Madden. These leaders join St Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith and Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal, who came out against the project earlier.
St. Tammany Corp. CEO Chris Masingill said that getting the $100,000 early will mean that a technical consultant can be hired right away to study the sports complex.
St Tammany residents will vote on the future of the casino proposal in November.
