A newly hired acting general manager of Thunder Valley Casino said he has a positive answer these days about both the new 15-story hotel and spa project as well as innovations taking place in day-to-day operations.

The message St. Jean said he and Thunder Valley are trying to get out is that something exciting is going on at the site – whether it’s the beehive of activity around the steel skeleton of the expansion, with giant cranes looming overhead, or in the revamped menus and new giveaways designed to lure locals and visitors into the Athens Road gambling mecca.

The casino had been sending out mixed messages over the past few months, shelving ambitious plans in November for what had been a 23-story hotel, nine-story parking tower and a performing arts center. Then there was the firing of four top executives in February that led to St. Jean’s being brought in as part of a Station Casinos management team. The downturn in the economy also led to a recent announcement of 100 layoffs.

But that news has been tempered by the decision by the United Auburn Indian Community, the Auburn-based tribe that owns the 5-year-old casino, to move ahead with a still-ambitious but scaled-down expansion.

Work started last month and St. Jean provided an overview of plans Tuesday, as well as a look at some of the recent innovations at a casino its owners estimate is drawing 8,000 to 10,000 visitors a day.

Part of the revised plan revolves around putting new buildings in place that have room for growth. For instance, the hotel will start with 300 rooms but could be increased to 400. Initial plans were for 638 rooms.

St. Jean said a shell space in the expansion area will have the floorspace and pillar-free sightlines to be a performance space that could hold 2,000 people. But the space could also partially house another restaurant, he said.

The expansion is expected to be completed in mid-2010.

A new pool and cabana area – a centerpiece in many other resorts – will be built on the space the performing arts center was initially targeted. St. Jean said that area will be available for a variety of uses, from private functions and small concerts to weddings.

In the meantime, the construction isn’t stopping Thunder Valley from getting back into the promotional business, St. Jean said, noting that it is returning to car giveaways.

“We’re giving away 11 cars this month,” he said. Restaurants have been adjusting their menus, including reintroducing barbecues on Sundays and Thursdays.

“It’s an exciting environment and we want people to feel that there’s really something going on,” St. Jean said.

Jeff Henry, director of business development for the 700-member Placer County Contractors Association, said the Thunder Valley project comes at a time when federal stimulus funds are beginning to create more jobs in the county. The 700-member building association has also noticed an increase in private projects, too, he said.

“Anybody working on the Thunder Valley expansion is benefiting,” Henry said. “We need the work.”

The Journal’s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.