The Morongo Band of Mission Indians and Perini Building Company today
celebrate the topping-out of the new Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa with the
hoisting of the highest piece of structural steel on to the resort’s
rooftop. Featuring four-star suites and rooms, multiple restaurant
facilities, a nightclub, spa, ballrooms, convention facilities, retail
space and a pool oasis, the 600,000+ square-foot hotel and casino is the
largest economic development project undertaken by the tribe in its
history. According to Morongo tribal chairman Maurice Lyons, the project exterior
is now 80 percent complete.

“Our world-class casino, resort and spa is scheduled to open in November
and will be the premier recreational gaming destination on the West
Coast,” said Lyons. “It is a beautiful and unique design inspired by the
forces of nature. We believe the new resort will bring a piece of paradise
to the desert.”

Located 90 minutes east of Los Angeles and 20 minutes west of Palm Springs
between the scenic San Gorgonio and San Jacinto mountain ranges, the
destination resort will offer visitors a full range of entertainment and
recreational options. Lush gardens, sandy beaches and extensive
landscaping are among the design features of the property.

“With seven months of construction ahead of us, our crew will begin work
on finer details of the 44-acre project,” said Perini Building Company
chairman Dick Rizzo. “When complete, the resort will set a new standard
for tribal casinos and gaming in California.”

Expected to generate more than $2.8 billion in new jobs and economic
benefits within the next five years, the Morongo tribe is the largest
private sector employer in the Pass Area and provides economic stability
to the reservation and surrounding communities of the Inland Empire.

“As a prominent partner of the community and part of California’s tribal
gaming industry, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians is a major
contributor to the seventh largest economy in the world,” said Riverside
County Supervisor Marion Ashley. “The new casino, resort and spa will
serve as an economic driver for the county with the creation of more than
4,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in new goods and services purchased over the
next five years.”

The current facility, Casino Morongo, hosts more than 1.5 million visitors
annually. With the opening of Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa scheduled for
fall 2004, patrons will soon enjoy an expansive 148,000 square foot
state-of-the- art casino housing a complete selection of slot machines and
table games. Rooms for bingo and poker will also be featured.

“With a seasoned Perini project team, 1,000 dedicated craftspeople and
precision planning, the project remains on schedule,” said Tom Linton,
Morongo’s director of planning and economic development who is overseeing
the project together with the tribal council. “Combining the work of
Perini with the tribe’s building representative, S&J Enterprise, we have
been able to successfully maintain momentum while adhering to our budget.”

Construction unions were among the first to endorse and support Indian
self-reliance during Propositions 5 and 1A. Of the 20 major subcontractors
working on the project, 19 are union shops.

Subcontractors include Cattrac, S.P. Pazargad, Valley Crest, Surina,
Bomel, Fontana, SME, ASI, KHS&S, Alliance, D&HW Management, Cookson,
Walters & Wolf, Pro-Bel, RDC, OTIS, University Marelich and Bergelectric.

Perini Corporation and its companies (Perini Building Company, Perini
Civil and Perini Management Services, Inc.) provide general contracting,
including building and civil construction, construction management, and
design-build services to private clients and public agencies in the United
States and selected overseas locations. Perini Building Company is known
for its construction expertise in hospitality and gaming, corrections,
health care, education, and sports and entertainment. For more information
about Perini, visit: http://www.perini.com/

The Jerde Partnership was founded in 1977 with Jon Jerde’s vision to make
places that provide people with memorable experiences. Twenty-five years
later, the firm has grown from a seven-person studio with a single project
to an office of more than 100 with an international portfolio ranging from
retail and entertainment projects to mixed-use districts that rejuvenate
entire cities. The firm has designed Las Vegas landmarks like the
Bellagio, Treasure Island and the Palms Casino Resort.

The Morongo tribe operates one of the largest and oldest tribal government
gaming facilities in California. As a direct result of the gaming
operation’s success, the Morongo tribe has eliminated welfare dependency
on the reservation. The tribe now pays for a wide range of its community
services including water storage and distribution systems, waste
management, road maintenance, public safety, college education funding,
recreational facilities, Headstart program assistance and more. The
Morongo tribe is the largest private sector employer in the
Banning-Beaumont region and a major contributor to the Coachella Valley
economy. The tribe presently employs approximately 2,000 people in gaming
and non-gaming tribal operations.
——-