Hard Rock Is Offering Support to Several Rockford Groups
The City of Rockford has to send their choice for a Rockford casino to the Illinois Gaming Board by October 26th, so it's officially crunch time for the parties who have submitted proposals to the city.
In order to gain endorsements for their Rockford casino, Hard Rock International is offering financial support to several local organizations, but one group has turned them down according to the Rockford Register Star.
The RRStar reports;
the River District Association — a downtown advocacy nonprofit — decided against backing the proposal.
“We are not going to endorse anybody. It’s an inappropriate time to do so,” architect Gary Anderson, a River District Association board member, said on Tuesday.
Anderson said Hard Rock offered to give the association $15,000 to pay for musicians and costs for Saturday’s Fall For Rockford festival in the 100 and 200 blocks of North Main Street.
Ian Linnabary, a lawyer who represents the investors behind the Hard Rock casino proposal, said the group did not offer a specific amount of money to the River District Association.
“All we did was express our interest in the fall festival,” Linnabary said. “We heard back that the board discussed it and it was not appropriate. ... I think they did not want to wade into the fray; they are downtown.”
The River District Association isn't the only Rockford group that Hard Rock International intends to offer financial support to, RRStar says they have "identified numerous charities" they will be reaching out to in hopes to gain support for Hard Rock Casino Rockford.
We will all soon learn more about each of the casino proposals Rockford has received at the public hearing being held at the Coronado Performing Arts Center on Monday, September 23 at 5:30 p.m. Better make plans to be in attendance now.