Page 49: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1994)

NEW DESIGN

V.I.P. Lounge on the Alton Belle Casino II. Lighting designed by IDI.

Eye On Interior Design: Challenges

Peterson Builders Unveils Great ln Designing A Riverboat Casino

Lakes Casino Vessel Design by Erin M. O'Driscoll, assistant editor

Peterson Builders, Inc. (PBI) of

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. announced the development of a Great Lakes Ca- sino Vessel design suited for opera- tion on Lake Michigan for the Indi- ana gaming market. This new ves- sel includes 50,000 square feet of gaming area on four decks. Two of these decks have been arranged as mezzanines to enlarge the open- ness of the area to the entire gam- ing experience. Gaming decks also have 12-foot ceiling heights, with the uppermost deck rising into a glass atrium for an even greater feeling of openness.

A unique feature of PBI's Great

Lakes Casino Vessel design is the

VIP Sky Deck gaming area which is serviced by limited access eleva- tors. The other gaming decks are accessed by generous stairways and elegantly-appointed elevators. Ad- ditionally, the elevators are sized to accommodate the weight of fully- loaded cash carts for transit be- tween gaming decks and service spaces below deck.

The vessel is designed with pas- senger comfort in mind, featuring forward and aft flume stabilization systems to provide continuous cor- rection of ship motion. The vessel is powered by twin diesel engines driv- ing fixed-pitch propellers through reverse reduction gears, and driv- ing the vessel to a speed of 11 mph.

Maneuvering is controlled by twin- balanced rudders fitted aft with bow and stern thrusters installed.

Air quality, always a concern on this vessel type, is controlled by an efficient HVAC system designed at 900 tons. Ship's service electrical power is supplied by three diesel generators, with emergency power provided by one diesel-driven emer- gency generator. "PBI is very excited at the oppor- tunity to construct this state-of-the- art casino vessel for the Great

Lakes," said Mike Hitt, Peterson's manager of marketing and sales. "We continue to actively follow the

Indiana gaming market and are in

January, 1994 serious discussions with several ca- sino operators. "PBI's vessel design is specifi- cally suited for Great Lakes opera- tion and is not an adaptation of a river boat casino design."

For more information on Peterson

Builders' capabilities,

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From meeting numerous special fire codes and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations, to special de- sign concerns and complying with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), designing a riverboat casino requires intense planning to make it functional and profitable.

The Riverboat Gaming Boom

Design firms are starting to rec- ognize the profitability of the riverboat gaming industry. James

P. Colie & Assoc. of Hollywood, Fla. is a design firm which currently focuses on cruise and riverboat re- furbishment, but is actively seeking to move into the riverboat casino market. James Colie, president, said the Great Lakes is going to open up a lot of business for the riverboat gaming industry. "Maybe one day we'll even see a boat in Chicago," (Continued on page 70)

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