RUSSELLVILLE -- It was on a duck-hunting trip deep in the Arkansas Delta where casino developer Terry Green first heard of Pope County, Ark.
In a periwinkle plaid suit paired with a light yellow shirt and no tie, Green mingled easily through the dozens of people Thursday evening in a Marriott Hotel conference room just off Interstate 40 in Russellville.
On Wednesday, the marketing team with Green's company, Gulfside Casino Partnership, ran a full-page ad on the back of the sports section in the local newspaper and made the rounds to radio and online outlets to extend the invitation to county residents to go talk to him about a $250 million hotel and casino that he wants to build in their backyard.
"We just felt that we would like to give the citizens of Pope County a preview of what our plans would be if we were awarded the license," Green said.
Guests were arriving through the doors even before the reception began at 4 p.m. and steadily flowed in and out over the next two hours. At one time, Green was making his way through a packed room of about three dozen visitors eager to meet him.
Green said he knew he was in front of a tough crowd.
Even before voters weighed in on Amendment 100 in November to legalize casino gambling in the state, Pope County residents were up in arms, saying a casino wasn't welcome in their town.
Amendment 100 allows casino licenses to be awarded to Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs and Southland Gaming and Racing in West Memphis, as well as one each in Pope and Jefferson counties, which now have no legal gambling operations.
While the rest of the state overwhelmingly passed Amendment 100, Pope County voters soundly rejected the measure and added an ordinance that any local official's endorsement of a casino would require the backing of voters.
That didn't stop previous Pope County and Russellville officials who, just before leaving office at the end of December, submitted letters of support for Gulfside.
Such endorsements are required under Amendment 100. The state Racing Commission ruled earlier this year that the endorsements can come only from officials in office at the time the application is submitted.
Current County Judge Ben Cross and Russellville Mayor Richard Harris said they will not support a casino unless Pope County residents approve it at the polls.
Cross, who showed up Thursday near the end of the reception, reiterated that he would not issue an endorsement for Gulfside or any other casino proposal without voters' consent.
"I believe the application period will come and go without a license being issued," Cross said, adding that he sees the issue being hashed out in the courts system.
The application window for casino licenses opens Wednesday and continues through May 31.
Gulfside and Warner Gaming of Las Vegas -- which announced Tuesday that it is vying for the Pope County license -- said their applications to the state Racing Commission will not include the endorsements from current officials.
Leaning down to better hear a community foundation member, Green smiled and pointed to one of the dozen large photo boards on tripods lining the room. The architectural renderings featured a high-rise, a 300-room hotel, chandeliers dangling from ceilings over a lounge and bar, and rows of shiny slot machines.
Green said he had spent Thursday morning meeting with Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones, individual members of the county's Quorum Court, and other county and city officials.
Though no promises were made, Green said the visits were positive.
He was duck hunting near Jonesboro a little over a year ago when his friend, Jonathan Terrell, told him about casino gambling making its way to the polls. Terrell told him the River Valley was the place to be.
Green said he encountered opposition before opening Island View Casino in Gulfport, Miss., in 2006, but the tide changed once the casino was in operation and giving back to the community.
Green wouldn't give specifics, but said Gulfside has put "several options" on property in the county, outside the city limits.
"They're in the county," Green said. "The city would be impossible, and the county is pretty tough right now. We'll just see what's going to happen."
Chryl Plumb -- a Las Vegas native who has lived in Russellville for more than 30 years -- said the casino will be the best thing to happen to the area.
"We need it. Economically. We need the growth," Plumb said.
Her husband, Mark Plumb, who works for the Russellville Public School District in the adult-education program, said the tax base will improve exponentially and the jobs it will produce will be a welcome addition to the county.
"These days cities are struggling for increased tax bases," Mark Plumb said. "Factories aren't building anymore." The opposition is coming from people "scared of change and progress."
Russellville native Jim Lee said those opposed to the venture are "missing the boat."
"There's a difference between a gambling joint and a casino," he said, then swept his arms to take in the glossy drawings depicting restaurant scenes.
"A gambling joint you go to gamble; a casino is for entertainment. You don't have to gamble at all if you don't want to," Lee said.
"It will be a nice medium," his wife, Becky Lee, said.
Wes Freeman, a Realtor with Pro Team Realtors in Russellville, said he went to the reception to gain a better understanding of what Gulfside is proposing. He's neutral in the debate, he said.
Still, he said, "it's pretty impressive."
Metro on 04/26/2019