Posted on 04/10/2002 6:08:12 AM PDT by Inge_CAV
Thanks for joining and an excellent first post too. : )
I will post the article you are referring too in today's TimesDaily.
The article below is online here at TimesDaily.Com.
RSA proposal changing course
By Mike Goens
Special Projects Editor
April 12, 2002
Email this story.
The focus of plans for a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail complex in the Shoals is no longer centered on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Muscle Shoals Reservation. The economic development project could be built on private land.
TimesDaily photo by Staff Photographer Jim Hannon
A Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail complex that is the cornerstone of an economic development project in the Shoals could be built on private land instead of TVA property.
Retirement Systems of Alabama officials are negotiating with a private landowner on property that has become the primary site being considered for the course.
The golf complex is a key element in the project designed to make the Shoals a tourist destination.
Also involved in the proposal is a convention hub that would center on a luxury hotel in Florence.
RSA Chief Executive Officer David Bronner has wanted property on the Tennessee Valley Reservation in Muscle Shoals as the course site. However, environmental concerns about the land have led him to another area known as Hunter's Point.
The property, about 850 acres owned by Colbert County businessman Harvey Robbins, is on the Tennessee River in Colbert County near Ford City.
The course, if built, would be directly across the river from Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club, another Jones development. The site is about 8 miles from the Renaissance Tower, which would also be a key element of the project.
Simpson Russell, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Exhibit Commission, which oversees the tower operation, said he told Robbins about three weeks ago that the project appeared to be in jeopardy.
The problem involves an area where waste from TVA's fertilizer development operation was buried.
"I told Harvey that the slag pile was going to be a much more serious issue than we thought," Russell said. "I told him that Dr. Bronner felt he wouldn't be able to get an unlimited indemnification that would relieve RSA of any liability. I told him I thought we were at an impasse and on the verge of losing it.
"Harvey said, 'I hope it could be worked out on the reservation, but I might have some property if they would be interested.' I told David Bronner and (golf course developer) Bobby Vaughan about it and they were interested. I introduced them and it's gone from there."
Bronner could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
The TVA property has been a source of controversy as the project has unfolded. Dozens of area residents formed a group to oppose construction of the course, pleading that the walking trail and nature area on the reservation not be disturbed.
The area contains historic, archaeological and environmentally significant sites. Developers had designed a course that avoided those areas, but the design included areas of the slag pile.
Bronner has said he would not use the slag area in the development, which made a 36-hole complex impossible on the reservation property requested for the development.
"He was not going to touch that area without the indemnification," Russell said. "He's just not going to put RSA in that position, and I don't blame him whatsoever. And he has made it clear that he does not want a 27-hole course."
TVA has been conducting an environmental assessment of the property to determine if it is suitable for development. The assessment has cost about $300,000 and those involved in the project feared an environmental impact study would be required, a 12- to 18-month process that would have killed the project.
The reservation property remains a secondary possibility, but Russell, meeting with local elected officials Thursday night, made it clear that the Hunter's Point property is the primary site.
"It's the 'A' site," Russell said. "If they run into obstacles on this property, they could fall back on the reservation property, but this is the site now."
Robbins' offer has breathed new life into the project, Russell said. He said Robbins, in earlier conversations, said he did not want to involve his assets in the project.
If the plan proceeds, RSA would use a ferry to escort golfers from the Veterans Park area to the complex, about a 15-minute trip.
TVA is now being asked to grant permission for RSA to use 15 acres at the site of the proposed hotel and to allow a dock to be built. TVA must also approve any development planned for Veterans Park, which is also part of the proposal package.
Local leaders say they want TVA to focus on assessing those 15 acres. "We need to turn our attention to doing everything we can to get those 15 acres approved," Florence Mayor Dick Jordan said. "That is the only issue we have any control over at this time, and it has to happen or nothing else matters."
RSA has pledged to spend at least $40 million on the development.
The change of course does not alter area governments' commitment to the project, which is expected to be about $16 million.
Local leaders appeared stunned initially as Russell told them of the new development. The group has been working on the project constantly since Dec. 28 and has remained focused despite receiving criticism from numerous angles, particularly from environmentalists.
Sheffield Mayor Ian Sanford said it took about 10 seconds for him to get over his disappointment that the reservation property appears out of the mix.
"We have been sensitive from the get-go about that property and I think all of us have wanted to save as much of it as possible," he said. "When you added everything up and looking at the possible economic impact, we have no choice but to support it because it is what's best for our entire Shoals area.
"I think we've all had this fear for some time that Dr. Bronner would not be able to wait for the assessment to be completed or take a chance on using that slag area. I'm a little disappointed that the golf course won't be right here in the center of the entire area, but I sure am pleased there is an alternate site. I appreciate Mr. Robbins stepping forward at a time when it looked like we were losing it."
Muscle Shoals Mayor David Bradford said the change is disappointing from the standpoint of "all the attention and work we've given to the reservation property."
"But we've said from the beginning that we're doing this because it's what is best for the Shoals area," he said "We either want the project or not. This whole thing has been a series of adjustments and compromises. The bottom line is that it is still good for the economic well-being of the area."
Bradford said he spoke to city council members Thursday night on a conference call and they remain supportive.
Jordan also praised Robbins and Bronner for keeping the project alive.
Russell called the change a "win, win, win for everyone. How does anyone lose?"
Paul Kittle, one of the founders of Citizens for Saving the TVA Walking Trail and Nature Area, said the turn of events was news to him, but welcome news.
"My main interest from the beginning was to try to protect the trail and the nature areas," he said.
Kittle, head of the biology department at the University of North Alabama, said there may be obstructions to building the hotel in the north side of the river in Florence near Wilson Dam, which is a national historic site. He said TVA apparently is still studying the site.
Kittle said he has never objected to the Trent Jones Trail proposal, only its construction on the TVA park. "I support the general RSA proposal, overall," he said. "I have from the very beginning and still do. But there are members of the group who would probably have different opinions."
Colbert County Commissioner Charles Douthit said the economic impact of the project will likely be much greater now than the $21 million to $41 million projected by two unversities' studies.
"There's going to be building going on in that area of Colbert County for the next 20 years," Douthit said.
Sanford said the move might take away some of the economic benefit from Sheffield, but he said his city will see growth if the project proceeds.
Lauderdale County Commissioner Mike Curtis said the site change would benefit the east end of his county more. "But even without that I'm for the project because it's going to create sales tax and that's going to our schools and it's going to create jobs so our kids can stay and live here."
Staff Writer Robert Palmer contributed to this report.
Mike Goens can be reached at 740-5740 or mike.goens@timesdaily.com.
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