Tuesday, March 25, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The news Monday that the casino would close the upper decks of its gambling boats on weekdays follows the resignations or layoffs of 974 workers - almost 29 percent of the facility's opening day payroll of 3,400. Among those out of work were three of Station's top managers.
A company official said the electronic game cutbacks and layoffs at the $300 million facility had been under consideration since opening day in January.
"We're trying to understand the guest patterns when the business is coming in," said Jay D. Sevigny, Station's Midwest operations president. "Unfortunately, it's taken adjustments by us to find the right operational blend."
That blend apparently won't include the casino's skywriting biplane, which often etched promotional messages high above Kansas City. Also out, at least for now, is live entertainment on weekday evenings at Station's Horseshoe Saloon.
The casino is believed to be the nation's fourth-largest at 730,000 square feet. The complex boasts a turn-of-the-century theme with 12 restaurants, a jazz club and a large fountain - a nod to Kansas City's reputation as the Fountain City.
Station's budget ax fell hardest last week when 325 people lost their jobs. Earlier layoffs in February and this month cut 162 jobs and then 189 more from the payroll.
The cuts are starting to cost taxpayers money, officials say. Ray Mischon, director of Project Refocus at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said Station's layoffs rank among the largest in recent years.
Mischon's federally funded job retraining service sent a representative to Station Casino last Thursday to give brochures about the state's job assistance services to departing workers - some of whom were in tears.
Mischon said Station officials gave little warning of last week's layoff and that state workers had no time to arrange information sessions and interviews with the newly unemployed.
Since opening day, casino operators have made several game-related moves to trim the fat, including replacing about half of the company's 400 heavily advertised 5-cent and 10-cent slot machines with more profitable 25-cent machines.
Station Casino also operates a riverboat casino in St. Charles, Mo., and has four Las Vegas casino properties.
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