HOLLYWOOD SLOTS WHAT’S THERE AND WHAT’S TO COME: THE $131 MILLION GAMING FACILITY TAKES SHAPE ON BANGOR’S MAINE STREET

If they look way up, people passing by the Hollywood Slots at Bangor work site on Main Street can see an American flag and an evergreen tree perched atop the highest beam.

The tree and flag were put there as part of a long-held tradition among construction workers, according to Hollywood Slots spokeswoman Amy Kenney.

According to a December 2000 Modern Steel Construction article, the tradition called “topping out” is “a signal that the uppermost steel member is going into place, that the structure has reached its height. As the final beam is hoisted, an evergreen tree or a flag or both are attached as it ascends.”

The gesture is meant to signify a good job and good luck, according to several sources.

Construction of Hollywood Slots’ $131 million gaming and hotel complex remains both within budget and on schedule, Kenney said in an interview this week.

Work began in mid-May and is expected to wrap up in mid-2008.

The new complex will occupy an 8-acre parcel across Main Street from Bass Park. It will replace Hollywood Slots’ interim facility in the former Miller’s Restaurant building, just a few blocks up the street.

The complex will consist of three key components:

. A gaming facility slated to open with about 1,000 slot machines, but authorized to run up to 1,500.

. A seven-story hotel.

. A four-level parking garage for 1,500 vehicles.

With much of the earthwork done, the focus has shifted to the buildings.

“What we want to do is get as much done as we can before the weather gets bad,” Kenney said.

To that end, crews are putting in some long days, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., to take advantage of the waning daylight hours, she said.

The game plan is to get the gaming facility enclosed by November and the hotel buttoned up by January, Kenney said.

The structure of the parking garage, already taking shape, is slated to be up by Nov. 16, she said.

“What that means is that all the [estimated 1,000] pre-cast pieces [made in New Brunswick and trucked into Bangor via Route 9] will be up and in place by then,” she said. Workers then will install lighting and stripe the parking spaces.

Also scheduled for the near future is work on the Interstate 395 exit ramp, which is being altered to accommodate a dedicated turning lane on Main Street that will take motorists directly into the new complex.

That work will begin in the next few weeks, Kenney said.

In late September or early October, workers will bring the electrical lines across Main Street that will provide power to the complex. That aspect of the project is expected to last about two weeks and could result in some traffic delays.

“As we have stated in the past, we will do everything possible to avoid traffic congestion,” Kenney said.

Besides slot machines, the gambling portion of the new complex will house a simulcast facility for off-track betting, a full-service bar with entertainment including dancing, a 350-seat buffet restaurant, a 125-seat specialty restaurant, two smaller private dining rooms and a small cafe offering lighter fare.

Architectural renderings of the complex show an exterior done up in shades of cream and tan and lots of glass, with a two-story, semicircular glass tower at the end of the building closest to I-395, where the gambling will take place.

Parking for patrons will be located on the in-town side of the property. Staff will park across Main Street from the racino, behind the Irving Mainway convenience store.

ON THE WEB: For continual webcam coverage of the construction project go to www.bangordailynews.com and click on the yellow BDN webcam box.