— FORT GIBSON — A parking lot for the Cherokee Nation Fort Gibson Casino is generally full any given day of the week.

The casino is at the intersection of Georgetown Road and U.S. 62 — a difficult intersection to navigate, particularly at night.

And now, the Cherokee Nation is building a new 27,500-square-foot casino at that location and planning to serve alcohol.

The new casino will house 500 electronic games and employ nearly 190 people, according to Travis Noland, Cherokee Nation Businesses spokesman. Construction will be complete in fall.

The expansion will double the number of people employed there, but other concerns have at least one local official seeking answers.

“Making the casino that much larger and adding alcohol to the mix could impact our police department in a number of ways,” said Police Chief Terry Johnston.

The casino and that intersection of the highway is in the city limits and in the scope of the Fort Gibson Police Department’s jurisdiction.

Johnston is not against the casino expansion. However, he does want to be prepared for any added demands it brings for his department, he said.

According to an Oklahoma Department of Transportation Report, on average, between four and six collisions are reported a month in a one-mile stretch of U.S. 62 that encompasses the casino intersection.

Those numbers include minor fender-benders and injury accidents. The highest numbers are generally in July and August.

In early January, a man whose car had broken down at the intersection was hit by another driver when he tried to cross the unlit intersection to seek assistance at the convenience store.

“I expect these numbers to rise as the casino increases in size and begins to sell alcoholic beverages,” Johnston said.

More than 25,000 vehicles drive down U.S. 62 between Muskogee and Tahlequah on a daily basis, according to ODOT.

The same year the casino in Tahlequah opened, those numbers jumped between 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles traveling on U.S. 62 between Muskogee, Fort Gibson and Tahlequah.

Serving alcohol is of particular concern to Johnston.

A DUI traffic stop can take an officer up to three hours to process, he said. Plus, Johnston sees a possibility of more domestic violence calls when adding alcohol to the mix.

Responding to those calls could leave no officers on duty at all for emergencies during that time, Johnston said.

With only nine officers on payroll, it’s just possible to keep two officers on duty at all times, Johnston said.

The Cherokee Nation does employ security at its casino.

Fort Gibson is only called when an arrest must be made because the Cherokee Nation does not have a jail.

Two people have been arrested in recent months for leaving children in the car at the Fort Gibson Casino, otherwise neither Johnston nor the Cherokee Nation could provide how often the police are called to assist at this time while no alcohol is served there.

Cherokee Nation Entertainment CEO David Stewart said the decision to expand the casino size wasn’t made lightly.

“Growth is nothing new to our company, and we approach it both thoughtfully and practically,” Stewart said in a written response to an interview request. “Most of our eight casinos have expanded at one time or another since their original openings, so we understand the concerns the community may have with the opening of a larger property.”

Additionally, Stewart said, the Cherokee Nation provides alcohol awareness training to employees.

“Several other Cherokee Casino properties have served alcohol for many years,” Stewart said. “So, we’ve made it our mission to invest in employee training to address any issue that may arise. Each CNE team member is required to undergo and regularly update their alcohol awareness training and alert a supervisor. This ensures a fun, safe environment for all.”

Stewart also said Cherokee Nation Entertainment contributes $36,000 to the Fort Gibson Police Department annually, has contributed more than $30,000 to several community organizations over the last two years and contributes money to the schools from the tribe’s motor vehicle tax revenue. That contribution last year totaled nearly $80,000.

Nonetheless, Johnston isn’t sure if the demand on his department of nine officers will turn out to be too much.

“We’ll really just have to wait and see how it goes after it opens,” Johnston said.

The police chief said he has been in contact with security personnel at the casino to ask questions as he prepares for the fall opening.

Additionally, Johnston said he has looked into the possibility of putting in a traffic light at the casino intersection and/or reducing the speed limit in the area.

However, he was told the city would be responsible for installing and maintaining a traffic light on that portion of U.S. 62 — and it’s expensive.

One traffic signal could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000 to install, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That does not include maintenance or repair costs.

Reach Wendy Burton at (918) 684-2926 or wburton @muskogeephoenix.com.