Isle of Capri to re-open Monday
Published Saturday, May 10, 2008
NATCHEZ — The Isle of Capri casino boat, closed for nearly a month, is slated to reopen on Monday, according to a press release.
The casino boat closed its doors April 13 when floodwaters reached 55.5 feet.
On Monday, City Engineer David Gardner projected it would be a week before the Isle could re-open. Time was needed to allow the water to recede a bit more and for clean up of debris, he said.
Tana Ferrington, marketing director for the Isle of Capri said the clean up of the area started Tuesday.
“As the water receded they’ve been able to do more things and then when the water receded past the sandbags they were able to remove all of that and pressure washing (began),” she said.
The Isle worked with the city in making the decision to reopen, Ferrington said.
“There were several meetings between our interim general manager and our executive staff and our city,” she said. “There was constant communication between the (two groups).”
She said the city conducted a walkthrough and everyone was in agreement that the casino boat could reopen.
“Everybody’s quite excited,” Ferrington said.
The Isle employees never stopped getting pay checks.
According to the corporate Isle of Capri Web site, in 2006, the Isle of Capri grossed $43.3 million in its annual revenue. Using those numbers, the casino’s closure likely cost approximately $3 million.