Lynne McNally expects the Lincoln WarHorse Casino expansion project to be visible to anyone passing by within the next month.
The extended warm weather has allowed workers to make up for early delays in the building permit process.
"The weather has been beautiful for construction," said McNally, CEO of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which is a partner in the casino with Ho-Chunk Inc. on Friday after giving an update to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.
Phase 2 of the project, which will double the size of the existing casino, is expected to be completed by late October.
On Friday, McNally said the foundations are in place and the structural steel will be delivered by Wednesday.
"We're trying to work as fast as we can to get that building enclosed so we can work throughout the winter inside," McNally said.
Getting the building enclosed would alleviate the need to use weather protection measures, which are never ideal, she said.
Meanwhile, work on the infrastructure continues. Storm sewers are being worked on, while the roundabout on First Street that the city requires, along with other related street improvements, should be completed by April, McNally said.
"That should be ready to go for when we build the parking deck," McNally said.
The Racing and Gaming Commission on Friday also approved construction projects related to the horse racing track in Columbus.
After a lengthy discussion, it signed off on the construction of stables, jockey quarters and the approval of kiosks from a licensed vendor that will allow both racebook and sportsbook bets to be placed.
And while the construction of a modular administrative building and the use of portable restrooms were approved, it didn't come without some resistance.
"I've been to a lot of racetracks," said Commissioner Jeffrey Galyen, who voted against approving that portion of the project. "I've never seen temporary bathrooms. We're never going to have a casino proposed to us (with) temporary bathrooms. I'm not sure why we have racetracks getting temporary bathrooms."
Caesar's Entertainment, which is overseeing development of both the Harrah's Casino and the new 1-mile racetrack, assured the commission that the temporary restrooms and administrative buildings are necessary for them to hit the spring deadline and be ready for the racing season.