Council members seek TVA exception

FLORENCE -- Council members are contesting a Tennessee Valley Authority proposal that would affect property the city planned to use for a proposed Bass Pro Shop.

TVA, the public utility that owns Veterans Park, has proposed a land-use policy that would prohibit residential, retail and commercial development of TVA reservoir property, making the construction of a Bass Pro Shop all but impossible.

Council members, however, are considering a resolution that asks TVA to reconsider the policy in favor of one that is less restrictive.

Councilman Sam Pendleton sponsored the resolution.

"As a river city, we can't afford to have a padlock on our development," he told the council Tuesday night.

Members of the community and Councilman Scott Carrier opposed the resolution at the meeting.

"The resolution refers to this property as an 'invaluable asset,' which is precisely why we need to be careful with it," Carrier said.

Already, a letter from Mayor Bobby Irons and Council President Leland Howard has been sent to TVA detailing their proposal as part of the public comment phase that ended Nov. 3.

The letter also includes the signatures of the mayors of Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia.

Carrier called the letter and its endorsement from the city "premature" depending on the outcome of a vote on the resolution by the full council.

Howard defended the letter.

"I signed that letter as an individual in my official capacity," he said. "I did not exceed my authority by doing that, but it is my personal opinion."

Charles Rose, president of the Shoals Environmental Alliance, said doing away with Veterans Park in order to build a Bass Pro Shop would be an "unsound, uncalled for and wasteful use of the park."

Speaking before the council, he said, "Veterans Park is land owned by TVA, and they are required by law not to sign off on a deal until they are presented with a detailed plan."

A Bass Pro Shop, specializing in outdoor equipment, has been proposed for the property in Veterans Park as a result of the volume of fishing tournaments that use Wilson and Wheeler Lakes.

City officials have also said it would boost tourism and be an asset to further development scheduled for that area.

Other items discussed and passed unanimously by the council: