Tuesday, March 25, 2008; Posted: 07:38 AM
"I'm tickled to death," said John Culpepper, Civil War Commission chairman and Chickamauga, Ga., city manager.
"It's a project that will generate revenue for the state of Georgia," he said. "As people stop, they're going to spend and help the state's economy."
But state funding for Resaca is far from certain.
Gov. Sonny Perdue recommended in fiscal year 2008 that $5 million go toward installing a visitors center and interpretive trails at the more than 500-acre Gordon County battlefield to make it the entry point for the stream of tourists expected to visit Georgia during the 150th year commemoration of the Civil War beginning in 2011.
"This is our commemoration. This was the first major battle of the Atlanta campaign," Mr. Culpepper said, adding that few other battlefields along Gen. William T. Sherman's 1864 fiery march to Atlanta remain in such "pristine" condition.
The Legislature ended up cutting most of the funding the governor had recommended, and by January the battlefield development had $500,000 in directly dedicated money and $2.5 million in redirected funds allotted to it, but only about $185,000 was spent. In the midyear budget signed by Gov. Perdue on Friday, the rest of the money was taken out from the battlefield and spent elsewhere.
Project managers said they were waiting on more certain funding before moving forward with construction of the visitors center.
North Georgia legislators in both chambers said they will support keeping money for Resaca Battlefield in the budget.
"There's widespread support," said Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome. "There was some shifting in money (last year). But there's a spirit of cooperation on this project."
Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, is the chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that deals with the Department of Natural Resources. He had tried to restore money for the battlefield cut by the House in the midyear budget, which ultimately failed because the money was already spent on another park.
The $3 million now in next year's budget is "enough to start" building the visitors center, a project estimated at $5 million, said Rep. John Meadows, R-Calhoun.
"We're still going to need $2 million more," he said. "Maybe we put it in a future budget."
Project engineers have said it would take at least 18 months to build the visitors center once construction begins.
One difference in the $3 million for the battlefield in the fiscal year 2009 budget is that it's in bonds, not cash as the 2008 money was, said Bert Brantley, spokesman for Gov. Perdue.
"At the end of the day, the state pays it off over several years," he said.
In Resaca's case, 20 years. The House's budget includes about $69 billion in bond debt.
Funding projects through bonds may become more frequent as the state faces a bleaker economic outlook, Mr. Brantley said.
"The governor had a principle that when we are in good economic times, to fund projects in cash," he said. "The way the economy is headed, it's easier to fund in bonds because you're only paying the first year's debt service," but he added the state has to be careful how much debt it takes on.
Gov. Perdue remains committed to funding the Resaca Battlefield development, Mr. Brantley said.
"We have an important anniversary coming up, and we need to do what we can to capture" tourist dollars, he said.
He said Gov. Perdue doesn't have a position yet on the House's decision to get the Civil War Commission's $50,000 budget in half.
But Mr. Culpepper certainly does.
"If they take $25,000 out, we can't function," Mr. Culpepper said.
He said most of the commission's budget already goes to one full-time employee, barely leaving enough money to help renovate Civil War sites in small communities.
To see more of the Chattanooga Times/Free Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesfreepress.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
More News:
Market Updates |
Stock Alerts |
All Trading News |
Stock Index
    |
   |
