Officials ponder future plans for Veterans Park

FLORENCE -- City leaders are unsure what the future holds in regard to plans at Veterans Park, on the heels of a Tennessee Valley Authority ruling that appears to stand in the way of any retail development at the park.

They do, however, say they have no plans to challenge the TVA board's statement that shoreline property owned by the federal agency should not be used for commercial purposes.

"TVA has set a policy," City Council President Leland Howard said. "The policy is plain and I don't see us doing anything."

"We've got to comply with what they ruled," Councilman Hermon Graham said.

TVA spokesman Gil Francis said the agency set restrictions for the Veterans Park land long before the new land policy was adopted.

"Florence has a permanent recreational easement for the park property," he said. "The easement does not permit any commercial-retail operations like a shopping center or mall. Florence is free to use the land for recreation, but not for commercial retail."

Graham and others say they've heard rumors about a lawsuit possibly being filed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama or Public Park Authority of the Shoals to challenge TVA's new policy.

RSA Executive Officer David Bronner doesn't sees that happening. His organization has been involved in an economic develop project with local governments since 2001 that has been successful in attracting tourism to the area.

The project involves two Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses in Colbert County along with the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa, conference center and River Heritage program in Florence.

When approved, Bronner and others involved said an attraction in Veterans Park was needed to maximize the potential of the project, which was designed to stimulate growth in the area's sagging economy. The total project now appears in jeopardy of not being completed as a result of TVA's new policy.

Bronner said it would be "silly" to file a suit over the matter. "You don't really need to do that. All you ever really need to do is come up with an idea for an attraction at the park."

Along those lines, Bronner tersely challenged TVA officials to provide a plan for Veterans Park that would enhance the area's development plan.

"Maybe TVA can come up with ideas, since they like to sit around and pontificate," Bronner said. "They can come up with an idea to do something, instead of just sitting around thinking, for a change."

TVA's ruling came amid discussion of bringing a Bass Pro Shops store to the park. A second feasibility study was to have been conducted on the proposal, but that may be a thing of the past, with the ruling.

Florence Mayor Bobby Irons said RSA remains "in the driver's seat" in making a decision on what type of project should go at the park.

In the contract between RSA and the park authority, the Veterans Park attraction was to be mutually agreed on by both organizations. The contract also required the park authority to set aside $2 million to be used for infrastructure needs at the park.

"I don't know what their plan is right now," Irons said. "I'm sure there's still an open mind about what's going to happen."

Irons said he is confident whatever goes at Veterans Park will be in accordance with TVA's decision.

He said city officials are open to ideas, but stresses the ideas have to have substance, including a means of finance. "We need a project that will bring revenue and bring people.

"I encourage anybody who has a project to bring it forward."

Florence council members say the Bass Pro proposal never was brought before them and they have never been asked to vote on anything related to Bass Pro, a giant outdoors business that has been successful in markets like Nashville.

Councilwoman Angie Pickens, like other council members, said she's unsure what the next step will be for the park.

Council members said there is no plan for the park as of now.

In fact, Councilman Sam Pendleton has said he wouldn't be surprised if TVA ultimately reverses its decision and allows retail development. He said TVA was haphazard in its approach.

Councilman Scott Carrier, who has boisterously opposed the notion of retail development at the park, said TVA's decision "reflected the will of the people."

TVA Director Susan Williams said 92 percent of the more than 5,000 comments the utility received about the land management plan supported protecting public land along its reservoirs from commercial and residential development.

Francis does not agree with Pendleton's prediction that the new policy will be nullified.

Francis said TVA announced in August it would create the plan and held a hearing in Knoxville to collect comments. It then allowed Tennessee Valley residents 30 days to submit comments about the proposal. After a draft of the new land policy was published, TVA collected public comments for 30 additional days and then extended the comment period by 14 days to ensure everyone who wanted to comment did.

Many of the comments supporting the land plan came from the Shoals. Support for preserving Veterans Park was strong.

"In Florence, to plow under Veterans Park for a retail center is not in the overall public good," Carrier said. "It favors a select-few special interest. The TVA board saw that and correctly ruled in this case.

"You can have economic development and protect the environment. The two are not mutually exclusive."

Carrier said the city needs to explore the matter additionally, with public input, before reaching a decision on the park's future.

Bronner said Bass Pro simply was among ideas for the park, not the sole idea.

"The whole purpose was not to isolate Bass Pro," he said, adding, with an intentional pun, "We never had Bass Pro on the hook."

"They were just looking, like a lot of other people were looking," he said.

Bronner said the goal is to find something unique for the park, to bring people there.

"The whole purpose was to get something done to the park that enhances that area of the site," Bronner said.

He has heard numerous ideas, ranging from an ice-skating rink to a botanical garden to minor-league baseball stadium.

"Everybody's got crazy ideas, and that's good," Bronner said. "Maybe we can find one that works, something that's really unique and really enhances the area."

Rex Burleson, who chairs the park authority, said the next step is to brainstorm on ideas. He said that includes listening to ideas from the public.

When a project is determined for Veterans Park, Florence would have to petition TVA for approval if the project does not involve recreation usage.

"It may be that we don't do anything there, and take the money that's set aside for Veterans Park and enhance what we already have," Burleson said.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com.