We have learned that casino officials believe as many as 50,000 people will attend a series of opening ceremonies and parties when the casino finally opens. The 50,000 figure may be low.
The opening crowds could number as many as a 100,000 people.
Mind you, that does not mean it is 50K-100K people all at once, but rather, over three days.
Those are big numbers that stretch the imagination.
Many residents wonder if the city can survive such an onslaught of crowds with Wards 1 and 2 and the Lynde being inundated with traffic to the point of saturation, to over saturation, to literally drowning in traffic and hordes of people?
We know the city will survive. The question is, what becomes of the place if those type huge crowds materialize?
Traffic will stop. Traffic will be backed up. All the parking lots will be full and the crowds arriving will part of an overflow.
What to do?
We won’t know the answer to that until the opening. Failure is not an option.
Success is what the opening should be all about.
Just how big a success it will be is the ultimate question.
How the city deals with the crowds- well, this is a matter to be dealt with as it occurs.
A casino without crowds in this city will be like a casino without people.
We are predicting huge crowds, temporary parking and traffic issues of a great magnitude.
In the end, everything will be worked out.