Members of the Grow Greene County Gaming Corp., from left, Brenda Muir, Mary Jane Fields, and Lori Mannel, react to the 3-2 vote by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to award a casino license to the group Thursday.(Photo: AP Photo/The Hawk Eye, John Gaines)

JEFFERSON, Ia. — Deb McGinn summed up how most folks in Jefferson felt about the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission's approval of a $40-million casino for the Greene County city of about 4,500.

"Woo-hoo!" she said.

McGinn elaborated: "It's going to do so much good for the city and Greene County. We'll be able to use some of that money for projects that we really need and add to the plans we already have going."

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McGinn was walking near Jefferson's famous 168-foot Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower with her friend and fellow Jefferson resident Lisa Jaskey.

Jaskey is a member of the Jefferson City Council. She shared McGinn's enthusiasm, right down to the "Woo-hoo!"

"This means jobs and economic development," Jaskey said. "It won't just be the casino and the hotel complex. There's going to be a lot of development around it."

Mary Engelson, who lives in Coon Rapids but has worked in Jefferson for 20 years, also celebrated the coming of the casino.

"People are very excited about the possibilities," she said. "It's nice to see some growth out in these parts."

Tom Polking is a Des Moines lawyer who has an office in Jefferson. He praised the gaming officials for allowing the development.

"This is wonderful," he said. "They talked about segmenting the business for other casinos, but the reality is Des Moines has been segmenting rural Iowa for years. It's about time something came back this direction."

Wonderful is a word a lot of people in Jefferson used to describe the casino news.

Jefferson resident Sherry Gruren used it as walked out of the Green County Courthouse around lunchtime Thursday.

"Hopefully it will give us some money to spend on things like the schools," she said. "It'll make us a destination, not just a place you drive past."

Only one fellow out and about at noontime had a contrary word to say about the casino. His said his name was Sean. He wouldn't give his last name. He wore dark sunglasses and a camouflage shirt while riding his bike.

"I don't gamble," Sean said. "I don't think it's going to bring very money or all the jobs they think it will. Maybe it will get the town some attention."

Dan Potkenak works at the Ace Hardware store in Jefferson. He believes the casino will be a boon to the city and county economy.

"Green County is ready," he said.

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