The Suquamish Tribe’s Clearwater Casino is in the process of a major renovation, including increasing its gaming floor space by approximately 9,000 square feet. The casino is also expanding its popular Agate Pass deli, relocating its Players Club and gift shop, and has plans to remodel both the Cedar Steakhouse and the Beach Rock Lounge in early 2005.

The expansion will be accomplished almost entirely by converting Clearwater Casino’s existing convention space into casino floor space. Convention and banquet events previously held in this space will be relocated to the nearby Kiana Lodge, a six-acre retreat and meeting facility acquired in January 2004 by Port Madison Enterprises, the organization that oversees the Suquamish Tribe’s business ventures. Port Madison Enterprises also runs Clearwater.

“It took us seven and a half years to grow out of the tent,” said Russell Steele, CEO of Port Madison Enterprises, referring to the permanent tent that served as the casino’s gambling hall from December 1995 to July 2003. “And just one year to outgrow this building.”

The casino’s existing Keno games will relocate into the expanded space, as well as the current poker tables. Two more poker tables will be added. Additional video slot machines will fill the rest of the new space. Overall the casino will be increasing the table games it offers from 28 tables to 32 to 34 and will be adding close to 400 additional slot machines.

The new slot machines are the main reason for the expansion.

“We had an opportunity to get more slot machine allocations,” said Steele. According to Steele, slot machine allocations in the state of Washington are nearly depleted, so the additional allocations were something that the casino could not afford to turn down.

“When the convention center was built the floor was pre-wired for video slot machines,” said Steele. “So the room was pre-set to expand.”

Originally, Steele said, a new convention center was going to be built on the grounds of Clearwater Casino, but with the addition of Kiana Lodge, that new construction was deemed unnecessary. The Kiana Lodge can accommodate up to 1,000 people.

“Kiana’s well-suited for multiple kinds of events,” said Steele. “It’s got the best of both worlds – a rustic lodge setting that adds a get-away effect to business events.”

Large groups meeting at Kiana will continue to park at the large Clearwater Casino parking lot and be bussed to the lodge, around one and half miles away. This arrangement has already been tested with several large groups and Steele reports that the five-minute bus ride has worked out well, both for accommodating the groups and for keeping traffic volume at Kiana Lodge to a minimum.

All events that were originally scheduled at the convention center have been successfully relocated to Kiana Lodge. So far there have been no scheduling conflicts caused by merging the two event operations into one location.

Clearwater Casino retains some meeting space for small groups, including the boardroom, which can accommodate 60 to 70 people.

Port Madison Enterprises is planning to hold one or more public events at Kiana Lodge, so that area residents will have the opportunity to visit the grounds and see the facility. Dates for these events are still under consideration.