Bass Pro competitor rips incentives

FLORENCE -- The city council was told Tuesday that Bass Pro Shops is not the tourist attraction the retailer claims.

They also urged the council not to provide Bass Pro Shops with retail incentives to locate in Veterans Park.

A $20 million taxpayer-funded incentive plan has been discussed to lure Bass Pro Shops to Veterans Park.

Developer Michael Ayres, chief operating officer of Oppidan Investment Co., represents Gander Mountain, which competes with Bass Pro and Cabela's in the outdoor sporting goods business.

Ayres said he wanted the council to understand the industry. In the past 10 years, he said, the retail sporting goods industry increased square footage from 1 million to 14 million across the nation.

He also said there would be 77 Bass Pros and Cabela's by the end of the year. "If there were 77 Grand Canyons by the end of '06, what would make it unique," he asked.

Ayres said they were scouting up to six locations to locate stores in Alabama, but they were not scouting Florence.

"We will gladly compete with Bass Pro on a level playing field, but we can't compete if they have a $20 million head start," Ayres told the council. Ayres said Gander Mountain does not take retail incentives.

Some council members did not take kindly to Gander Mountain's presentation.

"Nobody has any business inviting others to stab our mayor in the back," said Councilman Sam Pendleton. "I'm not discussing anything with anybody other than Bass Pro."

Pendleton said the Bass Pro project was something Mayor Bobby Irons was working on.

While representatives were in front of the council, a debate erupted among council members about who should be allowed to speak before the council during a work session.

Councilman Scott Carrier invited representatives of Gander Mountain to address the council.

Carrier said he was appalled at the way the council treated Gander Mountain representatives.

"All we were doing was listening to other ideas," he said.

Pendleton said the mayor and council president should have had more than 24 hours' notice that representatives from Gander Mountain would attend.

After the meeting, Irons said he knew the representatives would be at the work session. He declined to comment on their presentation.

An attraction in Veterans Park is part of the Retirement Systems of Alabama agreement with the Shoals that resulted in development of two golf courses and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.

David Bronner, head of RSA, has said he favors a Bass Pro plan.

According to the agreement between the Shoals and RSA, $2 million is supposed to be spent in Veterans Park. That money comes from a bond issue by the Public Park Authority of the Shoals that is being repaid with a 2-cent gasoline tax in Lauderdale and Colbert counties.

The agreement also states that an arm of RSA, Alabama Real Estate Holdings, Florence and the Park Authority would agree on a plan for Veterans Park "within the maximum cost of $2 million."

A study by University of North Alabama economics professors showed the city could lose more than $14 million on an incentive plan.

That study was shelved because it did not include ancillary retail that would be attracted with a Bass Pro.

Todd Twilley can be reached at 740-5728 or todd.twilley@timesdaily.com.