In the March 22 Anchorage Daily News, Sean Cockerham wrote an article titled, “Alaska on the Strip”.  According to Mr. Cockerham, Perry Green, well-known furrier, presented before the Special Committee on Economic Development, Trade and Tourism to spend millions of state money to create a tourist attraction on the Las Vegas strip.  Committee Chairman, Bob Herron, Bethel Democratic Rep., said they are interested in the project.

Green asked for $4 million to design the project, included in the initial money is figuring out cost of building the facility and cost to lease the land.  Green will report back with cost and plans for Legislative approval.  There are influential backers behind Green’s plan, Mayor Dan Sullivan, Eagle River Rep. Bill Stoltze, Alaska Airlines Senior Vice President Bill Mackay, Anchorage businessman Carl Brady, and Bob Malone, former head of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and BP America.  Bob Coe, formerly head of Anchorage airports duty-free operations, is developing the project from California.  Mr. Coe has worked in international tourism and told the economic committee that Alaska tourism is in trouble and needs an aggressive strategy.

Green thinks that the 31 million visitors to Las Vegas each year makes his plan perfect for attracting visitors to Alaska.  The plan includes a 300 seat theater for a flight-seeing movie and nightly shows about the 1890’s Gold Rush, stores selling Alaska gold nuggets, furs, art, native handicrafts and a restaurant featuring Alaska seafood.

Coe said, “The state needs to take the lead in funding the project”.  Mr. Green says the project will be self-sustaining once it is up and running, but who does this project benefit?   You and I, no, the businesses that created the idea, I bet so.  I say if these businessmen think it is a good idea, why don’t they use their money to pay for the project?

Is this a good time to gamble spending the money it would take for a project to fail?  Do they think we have forgotten about the seafood processing plant that now is a church or the Pt. McKensie (Mat/Su) prison that asked for more money to finish construction?  Will the committee ignore the Legislators talk about reducing spending?

Who will be working at this attraction?  People who actually know about Alaska, no, it will be people living in Las Vegas.  Do these workers have the  knonwledge to sell a visit to Alaska?  If there is no gambling in this attraction, how will we get those 31 million people visiting Las Vegas inside the Alaskan attraction?

 

Gale Moore