Monday’s topping-off ceremony for the $330 million Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady ,that was attended by representatives from the casino, as well as community leaders, local officials, and constructions partners, represented the last steel beam of the 1,200 tons of the others that were installed.

Before the final 60-foot steel beam was hoisted into place, members of the dedicated construction team, representatives from the city and county, and Rush Street Gaming leadership signed the final beam located near the casino’s entertainment lounge. There are now 5,900 yards of concrete foundations in the ground, according to LeChase Construction.

On the same day, Time Warner Cable News was permitted by LeChase Construction officials a tour of the highly-anticipated Schenectady casino project, which revealed the enormousness of the 160,000 square-foot building. Immediately after New York State awarded a gaming license in December 2015, construction began on Rivers Casino.

While there is a minimum of nine more months of work remaining in the finishing process, an aggressive construction schedule, and an unseasonably warm winter are aiding the possibility of the project being completed in time for an early 2017 opening; something that Rush Street Gaming is committed to. Neil Schiavi, LeChase’s vice-president told news outlet, “At this point, we start moving toward to exterior finishes, and then the interior finishes.”

Putting up exterior facades will be the next step in the process. Meanwhile, plumbing lines have been partially installed and high-capacity electrical conduit is being sunken underneath the foundation level, inside the structure. Progress is being made on other fronts as well. The future casino’s general manager, Mary Cheeks, said they have been inundated with applications and resumes. According to Cheeks, three weeks ago, all of the available positions were posted, and several thousand applications have been submitted already. Interested individuals can still apply at riverscasinoandresort.com. Cheeks said within the next 60 days their team is going to begin going through all of the applications and establishing training programs.

Next to the casino, an 850-space parking garage is being built and according to Schiavi, the garage foundations are approximately half-way completed. Crews have yet to begin driving pylons into the ground for the hotel that is going up along the Mohawk River shoreline. Adjacent to the Rivers Casino, the Galesi Group’s new mixed-use Mohawk Harbor project is progressing and will include a 50-slip harbor on the Erie Canal and Mohawk River and a 124-room Courtyard by Marriot. The development constitutes an additional investment of $150 million in the 60-acre riverfront property.

Rivers Casino is on schedule to open in the first quarter of 2017 as planned, according to Rush Street Gaming. The casino’s 50,000-square-foot gaming floor will include 1,150 slot machines, 16 poker tables, and 63 gaming tables, which will be attached to a 163-room hotel. It will also include a 600 person capacity, 10,000-square-foot banquet facility for hosting conventions and special events.