Additionally, noise and Bike Week complaints resurfaced, during what was a sometimes animated two-hour meeting.

Concerned Citizens of Cumberland Township leader Al Ferranto argued that the board’s specially-advertised April 5 meeting to discuss a “memorandum of understanding” with Mason Dixon Resort & casino was held in “secret,” because township residents were unaware that a meeting was scheduled.

The board voted unanimously at the April 5 meeting to sign a legal agreement with investors behind the proposed gaming facility at the Eisenhower Inn, citing a financial guarantee of at least $1 million in annual revenues. No members of the public attended that 3:30 p.m. session.

“The advertisement made no mention of a vote being taken – the way this MOU was handled was clearly not transparent or democratic,” Ferranto told the board. Ferranto asked board Chairman David P. Waybright to read the minutes from the April 5meeting.

“There’s not going to be discussion on the MOU,” said Waybright, reminding residents to limit their remarks to five minutes during the “public comment” portion of the meeting. Ferranto spoke for at least 20 minutes, without interruption.

“It’s already been voted on and approved,” Waybright said regarding the legal agreement with Mason Dixon Resorts. “It’s a done deal,” he said.

Nearly two dozen citizens attended the meeting, of which, about 10 appeared to be aligned with Ferranto. The group formed last month in response to the gaming plans, as well as other concerns, such as trash collection.

Ferranto, of Knight Road, argued that the legal agreement with Mason Dixon, led by Gettysburg businessman David LeVan, was “not needed” and done solely to “assist Mason Dixon Resorts in achieving their gaming license.”

Township officials have defended the pact, noting that it’s a “written guarantee” of payment, and that the developer is required to submit all land development plans to the township. No new construction is proposed in the Business 15 project, although extensive exterior renovation is envisioned, so the developer must submit detailed plans for building, roadway, sewer, lighting and parking upgrades.

Baltimore Pike resident Speros Marinos, who lives near The Pike Restaurant, located along Route 97 in Cumberland Township, raised concern over noise emanating from the property, with music and outdoor events.

“We’ve seen our quality of life erode over 30 years,” Marinos said regarding The Pike. “We want some peace and quiet.”

The discussion turned into a rant about Bike Week, held each summer in the Gettysburg area. Tens of thousands of motorcyclists attend the multi-day event, and hundreds attend festivities at the Pike Restaurant.

“Bike Week is hell on earth,” said Pike neighbor George Marinos. “Something has to be done about Bike Week, which is utterly terrible,” he added.

Pike operator Cheryl Hankey has asked the township to transfer noise enforcement at her establishment from the state’s Liquor Control Board to local police. A similar arrangement was in place in 2008-09, but the deal expired last year, unbeknownst to the township or Hankey. Many residents opposed the transfer of enforcement power Tuesday night, arguing that the state is well-equipped to handle noise issues.

The board voted 5-0 to ask the state’s Liquor Control Board to host a public hearing on Hankey’s request. A public hearing will be advertised and held, probably at The Pike, and testimony will be taken and recorded.

By Scot Andrew Pitzer

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Gettysburg businessman and gaming applicant David LeVan said during a morning press conference that the “premise is to take an existing facility” — the Eisenhower Inn along Business 15 south of Gettysburg — and “make it better by blending it into the countryside.”

“It’s a new chapter and a new beginning for this property, to turn it into a premiere destination resort,” said LeVan, who is partnering with former state lawmaker Joseph Lashinger in an attempt to secure the state’s lone remaining Category Three “slots resort” license.

“There is no new construction,” LeVan told the media. “We’re making the buildings better, with new facades and interior upgrades.”

Proposed property enhancements include landscaping, as well as exterior and interior work to the hotel and expo buildings, stretching from the Emmitsburg Road entrance, throughout the 100-acre property.

Ewing Cole Vice President Don Dissinger explained that masonry and stone will be “prevalent” throughout the exterior architecture, while the buildings will be renovated into an “historical-lodge” design, utilizing natural stone and native wood. LeVan noted that there are “no neon, flashing lights” in his plan.

“We wanted to address the misconception about casinos,” the Battlefield Harley Davidson owner said following

the presentation. “It’s definitely not something you’ll find in Las Vegas or Atlantic City,” LeVan continued. “Our overriding principle was to fit our project into the nature of the area.”

Dissinger’s firm, based in Philadelphia, has partnered with Mason Dixon to perform the architectural work. He believes the resort site has “much untapped potential.”

“Our goal is to preserve the tradition of the area, but enhance the economy of Adams County,” said Dissinger, adding that the current look of the 300-room hotel and adjoining recreational complex is “old and tired.” “The idea is to enter the resort, and then discover what’s inside,” added Dissinger.

The present-day All-Star Sports facility “will be the center of the entertainment complex,” explained Dissinger, with up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games. Overall, the building is about 72,000 square-feet, and now used for billiards, video games, indoor soccer, basketball and other activities.

About 70 percent of the space would be used for gaming, while 20,000 square-feet would be used for administrative offices and security. LeVan said that “some of the recreational” venues will remain, while other amenities could be eliminated.

His vision also includes replacing the current signage along the Emmitsburg Road, and replacing it with smaller, aesthetically-pleasing signage. The property’s existing lake would be resorted, and a mansion house and historical-looking barn are expected to be converted into a restaurant or Bed & Breakfast.

Pro Casino Adams County spokesman Tommy Gilbert, a Gettysburg businessman who attended Monday’s conference, was pleased with the presentation. “This is going to put Gettysburg back on the map,” he said regarding the plan.

LeVan announced Monday morning that he and Lashinger have the 100-acre site under a purchase option through 2012, after recently reaching an agreement with the property owner, giving Mason Dixon “plenty of time to continue our project.”

Mason Dixon Resort plans to file its application Wednesday, April 7, the deadline for the state’s lone remaining slots resort license. LeVan is likely to compete with three other applicants: The Nemacolin Resort in western Pennsylvania, the Crowne Reading Plaza in Wyomissing and the Fernwood Resort in the Poconos.

“We’re the only new applicant,” noted LeVan, explaining that the Reading Plaza and Fernwood Resort met an earlier deadline for the license, while the Nemacolin Resort applied back in 2005-06, but later dropped out.

He “fully expects” to work through the municipal planning process in Cumberland Township, and expects his group to “begin work immediately, after we’re awarded a license.” Opening after six months of work is “overly optimistic,” he said, while one-year is more realistic. LeVan was unable to offer a timetable on when the state’s Gaming Control Board might issue the license.

There are no plans to alter the residential Devonshire Village, a collection of individually-owned condos, located atop the rear of the property, other than landscaping improvements.

LeVan’s first gaming project in Adams County, “Crossroads” in Straban Township, was rejected by the state in 2005-06, because of the opposition it generated from preservationists and historians, as well as revenue concerns. However, a recent survey conducted by nationally-recognized pollster Dr. G. Terry Madonna concluded that 62 percent of those polled in Adams County support the project.

Renderings of the proposed project are available by logging onto www.masondixongaming.com.

By Scot Andrew Pitzer

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The Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors signed a resolution Monday afternoon with Mason Dixon Resort & Casino, guaranteeing the township at least $1 million annually in local share revenues, if the proposed gaming project comes to fruition.

Supervisors voted 4-0 to sign the resolution, and enter into a “memorandum of understanding” with Mason Dixon, led by local businessman David LeVan. The fifth board member, Debra Golden, abstained from voting. LeVan is hoping to transform the Eisenhower Inn in Cumberland Township into a slots resort. Legal agreements signed Monday require LeVan to submit a comprehensive land development plan before continuing his project.

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CUMBERLAND TOWNSHIP, ADAMS COUNTY – The plans for a proposed Gettysburg-area casino were revealed to the public Monday.

The plans for the Mason-Dixon Resort & Casino include several renderings of a fully refurbished 100-acre resort facility on the current grounds of the Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center along Emmitsburg Road south of the Gettysburg battlefield.

“The idea is a much more elegant destination resort, which is a low-profile built into the landscape itself,” Donald Dissinger of EwingCole Architects and Engineers said.

The plans and renderings, created by EwingCole, will be presented to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday in hopes of landing a casino license.

The casino’s developer, David LeVan, plans to push the creation of 400-plus jobs and increased state gaming revenue as the casino’s chief selling points.

“I think the biggest thing to convince them is the economic impact,” LeVan said. “I think our ability to have this casino be more successful than any of our competitors (is key),” he said.

A family games and entertainment building known as Allstar Funland will be remodeled into the casino at the heart of the resort if the plan is approved, but it is facing vocal opposition from the group “No Casino Gettysburg.”

“It’s young, middle-class families that come visit Gettysburg, and they don’t want the casino,” business owner Steve Shultz said.

Shultz owns an art and collectible shop and bed and breakfast in Gettysburg.

He said an overwhelming number of his customers and other town business owners oppose the casino.

They want the state to keep gambling out of the historic town, he said.

“We don’t have a lot of choice,” Shultz said. “It’s up to the people in Harrisburg what they’re going to do.”

The Mason-Dixon Casino & Resort plans will be presented to the state gaming control board on Wednesday morning in Harrisburg.

Members of “No Casino Gettysburg” plan to be there to show their opposition.

A decision could come in a matter of weeks or months.

By Craig Layne Multi-Media Journalist

Copyright © 2010,Fox43

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“We’ll file the application by Wednesday,” Mason Dixon Resort & Casino spokesman David La Torre said regarding the state-mandated deadline.

“It could be Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday – I’m not sure, but we have to file by April 7,” added La Torre.

Transportation Resource Group of York has determined that “minimal work” will be needed along Emmitsburg Road, Business 15 in Cumberland Township, to accommodate the proposed gaming project at the Eisenhower Inn. Traffic counts were conducted in January-February, although seasonal data was factored into the report.

Mason Dixon, led by Gettysburg businessman David LeVan and former state lawmaker Joseph Lashinger, released the study Thursday, concluding that a traffic light is necessary, as well as a northbound turn-lane into the entrance of the hotel, recreation and development complex.

“We’re not building a new resort so we’re fortunate that much of the traffic design is already in place,” LeVan said in a statement. “But we understand how this issue greatly concerns area residents. The changes we’re going to make will ensure a smooth traffic flow even during our busier times.”

La Torre explained that the developer will underwrite those costs.

The TRG report found that the road has “already been designed to handle resort traffic” for the site. According to the report, while the hotel’s occupancy rate has decreased in recent years, the “minor changes” would be “more than capable of handling the increased traffic.”

The report states that “only minor modifications are necessary, since traffic volumes for a resort complex were anticipated in previous traffic planning for the tract of land.”

La Torre cited TRG’s credentials, noting that the agency is “well known for its expertise” in the field of transportation engineering.

The firm has performed work for the South Hanover Shopping Center in Penn Township, York County, and the new Battlefield Visitor Center in Cumberland Township.

The report studied four intersections along Business 15, south of Gettysburg, and calculated traffic growth patterns.

LeVan’s group is unveiling renderings of the project Monday to the media. Also, La Torre said that once the application is filed, a gaming operator will be announced.

LeVan is expected to face competition from up to four other applicants, including a strong proposal from the Nemacolin Resort in western Pennsylvania.

An economic study released last week found that the Mason Dixon project has the potential to create 900 jobs, $16 million in annual wages, and $3 million in local taxes.

Critics have argued that both the traffic and economic reports are flawed, and have decried the project’s half-mile proximity to the Gettysburg battlefield.

By Scot Andrew Pitzer

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A report commissioned by Mason Dixon Resort officials estimates a casino proposed for Adams County would invest $66 million into the local economy each year, generate as much as $37 million in annual state tax revenues and create 375 full-time jobs.

The report was compiled by Econsult Corporation, a Philadelphia-based consulting company that has developed impact reports for other state casinos, including the Valley Forge Convention Center and Foxwoods Casino, as well as casinos in Kansas City and Iowa.

“We wanted a study from a company that is familiar to the state Gaming Control Board and whose reputation is beyond reproach,” said David La Torre, a spokesperson for Mason Dixon Resort and Casino. “Our report has to be accurate. That’s why we brought in Econsult.”

But Keith Miller, a former business consultant for Strategic Planning Associates and a member of No Casino Gettysburg, argued the report’s projections are one-sided.

“Most impact reports show at least some of the negatives, but here you only have the positives,” Miller said. “Sure, it shows the casino in a good light but half the scale is missing.”

Contacted later, La Torre countered, saying, “It’s one-sided because there aren’t two sides to this. It’s hard to find negatives when you’re going to create hundreds of jobs and provide millions in local tax relief.”

La Torre said the report will be submitted to the Gaming Control Board on the April 7 deadline to apply for the state’s last remaining Category 3 gaming license. The casino is proposed by Gettysburg businessman David LeVan, who hopes to convert the Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center — located south of the Gettysburg battlefield on Emmitsburg Road — to a gaming resort with 600 slot machines and 50 table games.

Of the $66 million projected to come to Adams County each year, $51 million is estimated to come from increased hotel operations and $15 million from visitor spending. In addition to the 375 full-time jobs projected, the report estimates 326 more will indirectly be created from the existence of the casino and 195 positions will be added from visitor spending. La Torre said these jobs would include such businesses as glass, stone, and cement manufacturers that would benefit from the construction of the casino.

Likewise, the report estimates 93,000 overnight visitors will come to the casino each year and 49,600 guests will stay in hotels surrounding the casino. But Miller said he didn’t think these projections were accurate.

“If you’re going to come to the casino and gamble then you’re not driving down the road at the end of the night to get to your hotel,” he said.

The report estimates as much as $16 million in employee wages will be earned each year and the casino would add $3 million in local taxes and $37 million in state tax money. During a meeting with small-business owners earlier this year, LeVan promised to give preference to Adams County residents when hiring for the casino and to local vendors when buying products for the casino.

By Tim Prudente

Copyright © 2010 – York Daily Record

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The proposed Mason Dixon Resort & Casino in Cumberland Township formed new community partnerships Tuesday, while the group that opposes the gaming plan encouraged investors to “reconsider” the project.

No Casino Gettysburg Chairwoman Susan Star Paddock issued a press release, asking Gettysburg businessman and casino applicant David LeVan to refrain from filing a gaming application by the state’s mandated April 7 deadline.

Paddock claims to have garnered signatures from “140 Adams County residents” that oppose the casino, requesting LeVan — in a letter — to display “civic responsibility” and set aside his gaming proposal. LeVan has partnered with former state lawmaker Joseph Lashinger in an effort to convert the Cumberland Township-based Eisenhower Inn along Business 15, south of Gettysburg, into an exclusive slots resort.

LeVan announced a partnership Tuesday, with The Links at Gettysburg golf course and Ski Liberty Mountain Resort, in what’s dubbed the “Mason Dixon Pass” program, aimed to promote area tourism opportunities.

But Paddock noted the “community divisiveness” that LeVan’s plan has produced, since his Eisenhower Inn project surfaced in mid-November.

According to Paddock, her letter asks LeVan to “please weigh the unintended consequences of reigniting this controversial issue, and the harm that will come to our community if you proceed with your proposal.”

LeVan’s project is opposed by preservation groups, such as the Civil War Preservation Trust, which formed a coalition in January with the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Pennsylvania in opposing the project.

“Locating and marketing a gambling facility at Gettysburg unavoidably conflicts with the essential meaning of this place in American history,” James Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust, said previously.

However, a recent survey by nationally-recognized pollster Dr. G. Terry Madonna revealed that, out of 600 Adams County residents polled, more than 60 percent support LeVan’s project.

Pa. Governor Edward G. Rendell has stated that he finds the Mason Dixon project “less objectionable” than LeVan’s 2005-06 proposal, which failed in Straban Township because of “overwhelming” opposition and revenue-generating issues. Rendell has noted that the Eisenhower Inn project is located closer to Maryland and farther away from the historic Civil War town than the Crossroads project, proposed at the intersection of Routes 15 & 30, east of Gettysburg. Also, Gettysburg Battlefield Supt. Bob Kirby has said that the project is not expected to have an impact on the park’s resources, even though the hotel is located just one half-mile from the park’s boundaries.

LeVan and Lashinger have formed community partnerships in the last week, most recently with The Links at Gettysburg golf course and Ski Liberty Mountain Resort in Carroll Valley. Investors unveiled the “Mason Dixon Pass” program Tuesday, which aims to “actively promote other area tourist destinations to guests of the resort,” according to spokesman David La Torre. The program’s “inaugural members” are Ski Liberty Mountain Resort and The Links at Gettysburg.

One week ago, Mason Dixon Resort teamed with Gettysburg Tours Inc. and President Kenneth J. Rohrbaugh to provide hotel and casino guests tours of the 6,000-acre battlefield. LeVan and La Torre have called Gettysburg Tours Inc. “one of the premier heritage tourism agencies” in the country.

By Scot Andrew Pitzer

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Planning Commission member Jim Paddock cited his role with No Casino Gettysburg — the volunteer group that re-formed last year to combat new gaming plans in Adams County — as well as his relationship to the group’s chairwoman.

The planning commission convenes Thursday, March 11, at 7 p.m. to review zoning laws for gaming, but Paddock has already informed Chairman James Henderson that he won’t be casting a vote.

“I told him I would recuse myself for two reasons,” said Paddock. “There’s the perception of a conflict, and I also don’t think my vote is needed.”

Paddock said his decision is unrelated to a similar position taken by Supervisor Debra Golden. The three-year board member announced Monday that she won’t participate in deliberations March 18, when supervisors take a final vote on a casino zoning amendment.

Golden cited her history in working for Gettysburg businessman David LeVan, one of two business partners in the proposed “Mason Dixon Resort” project in Cumberland Township. Four years ago, Golden was employed by LeVan during his failed attempt at bringing gaming to Straban Township.

“Obviously, there’s been a perception of a conflict of interest for both of us on the issue,” Paddock said regarding himself and Golden.

“With Deb, it was the issue of her working for Dave LeVan,” he continued. “For me, it’s the issue of No Casino Gettysburg and my wife.”

Paddock said he made his decision “a week or two before” Golden announced publicly that she won’t vote March 18. He recently called the state’s Ethics Commission in Harrisburg, and asked for legal advice about his situation as a township planner. A spokesperson for the ethics commission did not immediately return an inquiry Tuesday.

“What they told me was that with the planning commission, there is no conflict of interest, because we are an advisory body,” explained Paddock. “They said with the supervisors, it’s different, because they’re a voting body,” he added.

Under the proposed zoning revision, “gaming facilities” would be permitted anywhere in the municipality’s mixed-use district, which includes major roadways near historic Gettysburg. A casino is currently not an allowable land-use within Cumberland Township, but state law must include language for every type of development.

However, the planning commission has indicated that it would rather place gaming facilities under “conditional use” land development regulations. That means developers would have to earn approval from the township for each particular project.

LeVan and Joseph Lashinger are hoping to transform the 300-room Eisenhower Inn along Business 15 into an exclusive slots resort, but need a zoning amendment to facilitate their project. The property is already home to commercial, recreational and residential development.

Paddock has served on the township’s planning commission for at least 10 years, making him the veteran member of the relatively new five-person panel. Previously, he served on the township’s zoning board, and he has a long history as a land-use planner.

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But Ferranto informed the township’s board of supervisors Tuesday night that the new “Concerned Citizens of Cumberland Township” group isn’t forming solely to challenge the Mason Dixon Resort & Casino proposal.

“We’re looking to play a role here,” Ferranto told the board Tuesday. “We’re going to meet, we’re going to organize and we’re going to come to meetings.”

The Knight Road resident argued that the board was “undemocratic and unfair” when it modernized its zoning ordinance Thursday morning to allow gaming in the township. By state law, the board must allow gaming somewhere in the township, and the developers behind the proposed Mason Dixon Resort & Casino are focusing on a site within Cumberland’s mixed-use commercial district, along Business 15.

“We gave all kinds of testimony,” Ferranto said regarding Thursday’s 90-minute public hearing, “and 20 minutes later, there was a decision made.”

Board Chairman David P. Waybright defended the board’s vote, countering that “a lot of people don’t understand the decision we made Thursday morning.”

“We amended the text of our zoning ordinance,” explained Waybright. ”In Pennsylvania, gaming is a legal land use, and our zoning ordinance must allow for every legal land use.”

He noted that “we have to protect the township if and when a gaming facility does apply to open a business in Cumberland Township.”

“It’s something that we probably should have done three or four years ago when gaming was authorized but we didn’t do it,” concluded Waybright.

Three citizens out of a combined attendance of about 20 people spoke publicly Tuesday night about Gettysburg businessman David LeVan’s plan to convert the Eisenhower Inn along Business 15 in the township into a slots resort.

Twin Lakes resident Michael Galassi, who frequently attends township meetings, argued that residents are “getting unduly excited over something that may or may not happen,” noting that LeVan “hasn’t even applied for a damned license.”

The state’s application deadline for Category Three “slots resort” licenses is Wednesday, April 7. No plans have been submitted to the township or state.

“It’s just ludicrous, with everybody jumping up and down about something that hasn’t even occurred,” added Galassi. “It’s down the road.”

Waybright noted that the gaming plans are “still very preliminary” and that the developer has not applied for a license.

LeVan and business business partner Joseph Lashinger are seeking the state’s lone remaining Category Three casino license, and are eyeing the Eisenhower Inn property near Maryland for the project. The project, according to LeVan and Lashinger, would require no new construction.

Preservationists oppose the plan because of the facility’s proximity to Gettysburg National Military Park.

The 100-acre property is located along Business 15 near Maryland, atop land that is zoned for commercial mixed-use development, and currently home to a recreation center and housing development.

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It’s economic development vs. historic preservation as philanthropist and former Conrail CEO David LeVan again tries to win a license for a casino on the outskirts of town.

A casino proposal four years ago was unsuccessful, in part because of heavy community opposition.

LeVan said he will submit a new proposal to the state Gaming Control Board by April 7.

His new slots and table games parlor would be much smaller than his proposal in 2006. It would be in an existing building and would be farther from town and closer to the Maryland border, where many prospective casino patrons live.

With pro-casino and no-casino camps disputing the most basic claims of the other, an undercurrent of division snakes through this historic area, which depends on more than a million visitors a year to its Civil War battlefield but which also has seen unemployment more than double in the last five years.

Yet public opinion was only part of the reason the 2006 proposal failed. The Gaming Control Board’s decision was not an up-or-down vote on the suitability of the Gettysburg project, but rather a more complicated selection of the “best projects” among five proposals from around the state competing for two licenses. The same is true this time, with at least four proposals competing for a single license.

This time, LeVan would refurbish the Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center, about a mile’s drive south of the Gettysburg National Military Park.

The project would bring much-needed jobs to Adams County, LeVan said, and, if other casinos in Pennsylvania are a guide, provide millions to local government. That has prompted some who opposed the 2006 plan to change their minds this time.

It’s not enough, or necessarily true, said Susan Star Paddock, 65, a social worker who four years ago collected more than 65,000 signatures in opposition to the first plan as the leader of the group No Casino Gettysburg.

“We don’t think it’s economic development,” Paddock said. Any jobs created will be offset by jobs lost as businesses close because residents would be gambling their money instead of spending it elsewhere, she said.

Paddock also said a casino would repel the people the area relies upon for its livelihood: heritage tourists. She cited studies that indicate heritage tourists abhor commercialization of historical sites.

A consortium of preservation groups including the Civil War Preservation Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association has opposed the new plan, writing in a Jan. 26 letter to LeVan that “a gambling facility at Gettysburg unavoidably conflicts with the essential meaning of this place in American history.”

However, the crowds of visitors to the battlefield have been dwindling steadily for nearly a decade.

“We need to diversify tourism,” said Jeff Kline, 38, an Iraq war veteran and a spokesman for Pro Casino Adams County. “Folks here are in desperate need to see some change. People need jobs. Too many businesses have closed. … Too many attractions have closed. … We can’t keep going the way we are.”

Preservation is a red herring, said Kline, who noted that the Eisenhower Hotel does not sit on historically significant ground. As for heritage tourists, he said that a majority of them are already offended by Gettysburg and its souvenir shops and restaurants.

“Heritage tourists only stay on the battlefield; they don’t want to spend time in stores and restaurants,” Kline said. “They want it to look like 1863.”

Business owners are split on the idea of a casino.

Barbara Shultz, 43, who runs the Aces High hobby shop and bed-and-breakfast with her husband, Steve, said, “Other casinos advertise heavily in this area. I know they’re going to be advertising Gettysburg and casino in the same sentence in a 50-mile radius.”

Shultz said she has two teenage girls and “I tell them their reputation is so important.”

“That’s how I feel about our community,” she said. “We have to watch our reputation.”

Tommy Gilbert, 62, who runs a hobby shop on the other side of town, said entrepreneurs first made Gettysburg a successful tourist destination with a privately owned visitor center, wax museum and amusement park.

“They created a fanfare of things for tourists to enjoy in Gettysburg, but those things have slowly eroded away,” he said.

A casino would help “bring revenue back in, which we desperately need, and maybe some tax relief,” Gilbert said.

“We all want to preserve our battlefield,” said Gilbert, who noted that his great-great-grandfather was a drummer boy for Adams County Company K.

“Not everybody’s a heritage tourist; we have families that come here,” and they want other things to do, he said. “People that want to go to the battlefield will. There’s only one Gettysburg.”

A Hanover Evening Sun poll of Adams County residents in January found more than 42 percent in favor of the casino, with 35 percent opposed and 22 percent saying they had no opinion.

Gettysburg’s status as a Civil War shrine means opinions from elsewhere cannot be ignored.

This month, a group of re-enactors sitting at a table outside O’Rorkes Eatery and Spirits on Steinwehr Avenue had divergent views.

Samuel Martin, 56, of Shippensburg, said gambling holds no appeal for him, and a casino would have no impact on his activities at Gettysburg. His wife, Lisa, 48, noted a casino “might bring jobs in.”

Sean Lynch, of Alexandria, Va., said, “I grew up in Atlantic City. I know what kind of crime and trash that came with it. It would be the same here.”

Across the street, Pat Phillips, 64, of Greenbelt, Md., sat on a bench checking messages on her cell phone. Phillips said she has been coming to Gettysburg for 20 years. She said that she’s a gambler but that she would not go to a casino in Gettysburg.

“I love Gettysburg,” Phillips said. “I think this town really should stay historical.”

On the battlefield, opinions among tourists were sharper.

“Absolutely not! No!” shouted Kathy Tull, 54, of Marcus Hook, Delaware County, as she looked out over the field where Pickett made his charge. “This is sacred ground. … I don’t care if it’s going to be near the park or not.”

Tom Beck, 66, a city planner from Forest Grove, Ore., said, “This is a sacred place. I find casinos low-life, demeaning and commercial.”

“Desecration is a strong word,” said Ben Richardson, 20, of Havre de Grace, Md. “But history and gambling don’t really mix. … They shouldn’t, at least.”

Paddock, the leader of No Casino Gettysburg, takes strength from that sentiment and from past success as she musters for a new fight.

“We will not stand for it!” she said with fervor. “We will do everything in our power to ensure there will never be a casino in Gettysburg or close to it.”

By law, the Gaming Control Board is required to consider a variety of factors, with some emphasis on job creation and which project is likely to generate the most money for the state. The battle for the one “resort” casino license available might have less to do with public opinion and more to do with numbers.

LeVan said he expects the Gaming Control Board to see “the best numbers of any applicant” in Gettysburg. The Eisenhower Hotel, which has seen business drop by half over the last decade and had an average occupancy rate of 34 percent last year, will compete with posh resorts that draw more than 250,000 visitors a year, including Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County, whose patrons come primarily from the same Baltimore-Washington market Gettysburg is aiming for.

Many Gettysburg businesses are wary of enlisting too deeply in the coming fight.

Even such a die-hard as Gilbert said, “No matter what happens, we still have to get up in the morning and say, ‘Good morning, neighbor.’”

By Donald Gilliland

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