September 20, 2007 - 1:03PM
ADELANTO — The former Hi-Desert Inn and Casino at Air Expressway and Highway 395 is finally started coming down Thursday after almost a decade of disputes between the city and the property owner. City officials considered the empty casino an eyesore because it sat empty and decaying directly across the highway from City Hall.
For years, city officials said they could not get any cooperation from owner Jasmine Mgrdichian about the disposition of the property. In the past when city staff members tried to meet with Mgrdichian at her casino in the City of Commerce, she refused to see them. Thursday, officials could not be reached for comment about the demolition and any future use for the property. Mgrdichian owns several parcels around Adelanto, including the land where Stater Bros. market sits on 395 and Palmdale Road. In a telephone conversation with Mgrdichian, she seemed surprised at the demolition and would not comment further. When asked if she still owned the property or if she sold it, she responded with, “I might be doing a lot of things”. At the time the casino closed, Mgrdichian blamed the rising popularity of Indian Casinos, the closure of nearby George Air Force Base, state regulations that keep slot machines and blackjack out of casinos and higher city taxes. The council had proposed a moratorium on the higher tax rate for one year, but Mgrdichian refused. The demolition contractor estimates it will take about a month to get the entire structure cleared “right down to the dirt,” said Ivan Galaviz, managing contractor. He said it is very much a green project. Everything will be recycled, even the concrete surrounding the building will have a second use.