GRAND FORKS (AP) - Architects, an advertising agency and several law firms have been hired as the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa works to advance plans for a casino it wants to build in Grand Forks.

The tribe also has established an office, which apparently belongs to partner and landowner Useldinger Properties, according to a progress report presented to the City Council.

Eventually, the tribe also may discuss plans for an entertainment lounge, hotel and convention complex, the Dec. 9 report said.

Additional details could been released soon, said Bill Johnson, a spokesman for the tribe.

Architects for the project are from Schoen Associates, in Grand Forks, and Leo A. Daly, of Omaha, Neb. To help with public relations, the tribe has hired SimmonsFlint, of Grand Forks.

Lawyers retained for the project will work with the federal government to get permission for the casino and help with Indian gaming agreements, officials said.

The Turtle Mountain tribe already has a casino on its reservation in Belcourt, near the Canadian border. But the site is far from any major highways, so the tribe is seeking a casino off the reservation.

The Grand Forks City Council has passed a resolution encouraging the tribe to explore the idea. Opponents have organized a petition against the project.