Ned Norris: Tohono O'odham Nation casino a boost to economy

The Tohono O'odham Nation is keeping its promises. When we announced our project in 2009, we promised to work with local communities to bring a unique entertainment destination to the West Valley, and to create thousands of jobs.

We now have 50 construction companies on the project, with more than 1,300 workers constructing the West Valley Resort; 85 percent of these companies have offices in the Valley, demonstrating our commitment to hiring locally. We're putting Arizonans to work.

And this is only the beginning. Upon completion later this year, 500 new permanent jobs will be created to operate the facility, including regulatory staff, police and fire personnel and many other positions. Thousands more workers will be employed during the multi-year build out of the project, which will ultimately create more than 3,000 permanent jobs in the community.

The West Valley Resort represents a major economic boost for construction companies and workers who were hit so hard by the recession. This is a project that is improving the lives of real people across the West Valley right now, creating opportunities where they did not exist before.