Dairyland Greyhound Park employees turned their attention to U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan in their efforts to bring a casino to their financially-strapped workplace.

About 30 people, most of whom were current employees of Dairyland Greyhound Park, gathered outside of Ryan’s Kenosha office, 5455 Sheridan Road, around mid-day Thursday. The crowd was holding signs urging Ryan and other local officials to bring a casino to the park.

A petition and postcards seeking support on the casino project were also circulated on Thursday.

Dairyland employees held a rally on Oct. 22 at the park seeking support in keeping the track open — Dairyland officials announced this month that a decision on whether the park will be open in 2010 will be made by Nov. 16 — and opening a casino at the park. Thursday’s rally focused on the casino project, which is estimated to be a $1 billion development that could create about 3,000 jobs.

“This is about seeking jobs and what it could mean for all of the other businesses in Kenosha as well,” Jeff Deavers, the food and beverage director at Dairyland, said. “We’re trying to get someone to step forward.”

The Menominee Nation has proposed a casino at Dairyland Greyhound Park for about the last decade. That project, which received support in two referendums in Kenosha, requires federal approval to move forward. The Interior Department rejected the proposal in January and a lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court in Green Bay by the Menominee Nation to overturn that decision and several guidelines created by former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne.

Dairyland employees said they took part in Thursday’s rally to fight for their current jobs — the track currently employs about 200 people — and to support creating further jobs with a casino.

Bob Nash has worked in the video room at Dairyland for 10 years, having moved from Florida after the first casino referendum vote was taken in Kenosha.

“My company offered me the job under the impression that in two or three years it would be a casino,” Nash said.

Nash said he just wants some finality regarding the casino.

“I think all we want is some accountability from any elected official to make a decision one way or another and we can all just move on with our lives,” Nash said.

Jane Panczuk has worked as a janitor for 28 years, the last 18 months of which have been at Dairyland. Panczuk said she was hoping for more job security.

“I would like to be able to work here until retirement,” Panczuk said.

Alderman Tod Ohnstad also attended the event and said he too wished to preserve the current Dairyland operation. He also hoped for further action from the federal government, including from Ryan.

“He needs to go down the road to the (Bureau of Indian Affairs) and tell them that Kenosha has voted, not once, but twice, for the casino,” Ohnstad said. “We have been waiting for a long time for a casino and I don’t see why we want to wait any longer.”

The location for Thursday’s rally was due to Ryan’s stated support of providing incentives for investment and job creation in the state. Ryan was in Washington Thursday, but he released a statement regarding his support of the project.

“There is no doubt that many in the Kenosha community — through referendum votes and my conversations with local leaders — remain in vocal support of this project, which is why I will bring your concerns to the attention of the appropriate federal agencies,” Ryan’s statement said.

Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman, also the subject of signs urging casino support at Thursday’s rally, said the decisions on approving this casino remain out of local hands.

“We’re depending on the decision makers in Washington to move this project forward,” Bosman said. ‘We would welcome this moving forward because of the jobs in the balance here. But outside of making phone calls and writing letters saying get on with it, which we have been doing ad nauseam for months and months, there is not much we can do.”

A scheduling conference for the Menominee lawsuit is scheduled to take place on Nov. 23.