Four bears casino and lodge

NEW TOWN &#; A $95 million project will add a seven-story hotel tower, sports bar, ballroom, fine dining steakhouse and other amenities to the 4 Bears Casino &#; Lodge.

Owned by the Three Affiliated Tribes, the property is located west of New Town on the western shore of Lake Sakakawea between Minot and Williston.

The overall $95 million project includes an 18,square-foot demolition of the existing two-story hotel, , square feet of new construction and 20, square feet of renovation. Upon completion, the casino and lodge will have rooms.

The new hotel tower will add 90 guest rooms, gaming, offices and a 3,square-foot first-floor sports bar with dining room and gaming stations. The extensive project also features a seventh-floor 2,square-foot ballroom, meeting rooms and a fine dining steakhouse with glass-surround dining.

The project team includes Wenaha Group, a Native-owned owner&#;s representative firm; Kraus-Anderson, a Midwest commercial general contractor; and TBE Architects (Thalden Boyd Emery), a St. Louis, Missouri, Native American-founded design firm.

The addition also will include a new Sakakawea Spa with couples&#; massage, a gift shop, fitness room and a hair, nail and pedi salon. The project also upgrades the property&#;s entrance lobby and first-floor kitchen, and dedicated glass-backed elevator to the seventh-floor suite.

&#;The 4 Bears Casino is an integral part of our regional economy,&#; said Mark Fox, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes. &#;The MHA (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) Nation supports this hotel development as a means to protect nearly full-time jobs. The infrastructure reinvestment is also necessary to compete with the expansive, off-reservation gaming authorized by the state over the past three years.&#;

&#;We are excited to begin this significant expansion that will enlarge and enhance 4 Bears Casino &#; Lodge, as well as bring more business and tourism to this beautiful area,&#; said George Trujillo, senior project manager for Kraus-Anderson Construction. The firm has worked with 29 tribes to complete casino projects, including six in North Dakota.

The original 4 Bears Motor Lodge began in the &#;70s with 40 rooms. In , a casino was added, followed over the years by various expansions and improvements, including restaurants, an event center, marina, RV park, water park, convenience store/car wash/liquor store and River Willow gaming boat.

Demolition and site work have begun. Construction of the new hotel tower will begin in June and is expected to be completed in the summer of

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