An artist’s rendering of the new restaurant under construction at the Smith River Rancheria’s Lucky 7 Casino. Courtesy of Lucky 7 Casino

Smith River Rancheria is in the process of an $11 million project to renovate and expand Lucky 7 Casino.

The tribe is also planning to eventually build a hotel, which would create a resort right on U.S. Highway 101.

Smith River Rancheria has had “a lot of stuff happening,” Kara Miller, chairperson of the tribal council, said at the Economic Summit last Saturday.

“We’ve been busy out there,” she told the business crowd.

Lucky 7 Casino will be expanding by 33,000 square feet (from about 21,000 square feet now) to include a new restaurant, poker room, new non-smoking gaming room, convention center, bingo area and a kitchen for catering.

In addition, the current gaming floor will be renovated to match the stone and wood design of the new facilities.

The goal is to open the new restaurant, poker room, additional gaming space and a room for non-smoking gaming in May, said Lucky 7 Casino General Manager Terry Westrick.

The House of Howonquet restaurant will have a curvy structure on the ceiling that’s reminiscent of ocean waves. The center booths will be raised, providing an ocean view.

An arched entrance will lead people into the restaurant, which will open up into the new gaming rooms, Westrick explained.

The wall dividing the current gaming room and construction will be taken down, bringing the new and existing parts together, he said.

The first phase of the project was covered parking toward the back of the casino, which is nearly complete except for a covered walkway from the lot to the new entrance in the back, he explained.

The proposed design for a new entrance to the casino is a waterfall that flows into a river scene, Westrick said, adding that  hasn’t been finalized yet.

The next phase to be completed in November and currently being built in the back of the casino is a convention center, which will be able to hold 500-600 people for concerts and 300 for a sit-down dinner, Westrick said.

This building will also hold bingo, a kitchen for catering and a second story for employee offices.

After the new structures are complete, the rancheria will be remodeling the existing gaming room “most of next year,” Westrick said. The bar will also be renovated into a circular shape with a fireplace.

At the Economic Summit, Miller showed renderings of the new restaurant, gaming rooms and bar, describing the wood and river rock details that give the casino the look of a lodge.

In two years, everything should be done except for the hotel, Miller said.

Plans for the hotel haven’t been finalized, Westrick said. The tribe is waiting until the new construction and renovations are complete before building the hotel, the last phase, he said.

Smith River Rancheria has also decided to develop a geothermal sustainable energy system to heat and cool the casino, Miller explained at the summit.

“It’s costing money to go green,” she said, adding that the system should pay for itself over time.

One of the first things the rancheria did was put a permanent cover over the parking lot because “it rains a lot here,” Miller said.

The rancheria has also built a wastewater treatment plant that can process waste from the casino, future resort, and those living on the reservation, Miller said.

One thing she emphasized was that the tribe has been using local contractors and engineers for the project.

The large screen behind her for the presentation displayed a list of about 40 contractors from Northern California and Southern Oregon.

“The money was all spent in this area,” Miller said.

Companies outside of the area say “they know how to do it better,” she said, but locals have the knowledge and expertise to do the work.

“We’re  proud we’re doing it locally,” Miller said.