Commonwealth Electric Company of the Midwest’s (CECM) Greater Nebraska division is excited to play a key role in the construction of Central Nebraska’s newest hotspot: Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park, owned by Elite Casino Resort. Our team worked directly with Baxter Construction Company, LLC, the owner representative for the project.

The new casino resort will feature 162 hotel rooms, a full-service salon, men’s and women’s spas, indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, and second-level meeting rooms with a rooftop terrace. The casino’s gaming floor spans 37,000 square feet and will hold 750 slot machines and 20 table games.

In addition, the resort will also include a sports book, various food and drink options, and Ruthie’s Steak & Seafood, a rooftop dining experience on the seventh floor with views of Grand Island and Fonner Park.

Construction for the Grand Island Casino Resort began in November 2023, with CECM joining the project in late April 2024. The project recently passed a large milestone, with its topping out ceremony on May 15. An aggressive schedule is in place, in order to combat many site restrictions and obstacles, the biggest of which being the Nebraska State Fair, which shares the site. The casino is anticipated to open in February 2025, just in time for horse racing season at Fonner Park.

The CECM Greater Nebraska team, including Project Manager Riley Fischer, Project Manager Jeremy Braun, General Foreman Tyler Hellbusch, Prefab Manager Dan Harlow, and Project Management Intern Carter Abels, is closely collaborating with the CECM Central Engineering team, including VDC Designer Sheri Stone, VDC Designer JT Harrison, and VDC to Prefab Manager Stewart Bohrer. The two teams have worked together to leverage Building Information Modeling (BIM) and prefabrication to streamline material and labor delivery onsite.

With a few outstanding bid packages still pending, the team is fully committed to meeting the challenge of completing such a substantial project within an eight-month period.