Editorial: Casino coming to New Kent? Let’s take a wait and see approach

The talk over the last week about New Kent County has revolved around the acquisition of 600 acres of land in Quinton by the Pamunkey Tribe. People have assumed that this area will be the home of a future casino and hotel. But let’s pump the brakes on that and let’s have a “wait and see” mentality to the issue.

The reason why I chose to talk about the “wait and see” mentality is because not all things come to fruition. As a news reporter, I write about what I find out or discover and then publish it. However, I want my work and words to be accurate and not hearsay. Assumptions of what could be happening is something that can damage a reputation or a build up instantly, only to be let down greatly when it doesn’t occur. This is an example of the purchase of this area of land. Could it happen? It sure can, but there are other examples of items that could happen or set up in position to make it happen.

My first example is the recent passing of the house bill that will allow betting on historic horse racing. While this does allow slots to be used in gambling, one of the main reasons it garnered support was to help Colonial Downs reopen and sold. However, this highly publicized bill hoped to catch the eyes of somebody willing to purchase the facility and to reopen it. Even if the facility was purchased this year and reopened, the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) has already commented that no races will take place there this year.

The second example will take us back to the mid-1990s. In the wonderful adolescent years of my life, word began to spread about the Disney Corporation (yes, that Disney Corporation) looking for land in central Virginia (rumored to be Williamsburg, along with even some land in Charles City and New Kent) to build a new theme park. That story began circulating to a vast majority of outlets and speculation and excitement began in the community. Alas, no deal was struck, and Disney remains vacant from the state of Virginia.

As we continue to see growth in Charles City and New Kent, remember everything isn’t set in stone and things can change in an instant. People also have the voice to approve and object to something at public hearings, especially something of the magnitude of a business coming into the county. But for now, let’s be aware of what’s going on, but take an approach of not jumping to conclusions until a stronger foundation has been established.