No construction on Alabama's Gulf State Park hotel 1 year after law signed

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - To much fanfare at a beachside news event, Gov. Bob Riley signed into law a bill letting the think to create a resort and convention middle on the web page with the old Gulf State Park motel.

That was on May perhaps 12, 2009.

A single year later, no construction cranes can be discovered in the internet site along the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores. Partly due to a lawsuit, a battered economic climate and a lack of think funds, there's small possibility anything will likely be created at the web site ahead of Riley leaves office in January — practically his entire two terms with his administration's plans for your web site unfulfilled.

"It's sad due to the fact it could are already a great thing for your think," Think Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley, who oversees Alabama's express parks, mentioned in an interview.

Express Sen. Trip Pittman, who represents the location and serves as vice chairman with the Legislature's point out parks committee, raises the prospect of yet another obstacle. Pittman, R-Daphne, stated some private interests are searching at building a convention facility elsewhere for the Alabama coast when the economic system improves.

"That may remove the viability of this," explained Pittman.

The point out park's old concrete motel and conference center played host to smaller conventions for a lot more than two decades. But its deteriorating condition, as well as competition from new hotels in Gulf Shores and Orange Beachfront, drained away enterprise. When it was wrecked by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, momentum developed to replace it.

Other park attractions that were demolished by Ivan, such as the seashore pavilion and think fishing pier, are actually rebuilt and are drawing massive crowds. But the motel website sits empty along the park's two miles of beachfront.

The Riley administration had plans to attract large conventions that now go to Destin, Fla., and Biloxi, Miss. The idea was to lease beach-front land with the park to Auburn University for at the very least 70 several years after which have Auburn sublease it on the Atlanta-based West Paces Hotel Group. The firm was to develop a 350-room luxury motel and conference center costing about $100 million.

The administration's plan was challenged in court by a number of men and women, such as the owners of Perdido Seaside Resort, a convention lodge in neighboring Orange Beachfront. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled the Riley administration strategy violated a express law that limits leases for exclusive operations in express parks to 12 a long time.

To have the project back on track, the Legislature passed a bill enabling the think to lease beach-front property for 70 years with a exclusive business for improvement with the inn. The point out would assemble and operate an adjoining convention middle, in conjunction with coastal towns that would benefit from convention company.

Riley stood within the seashore a year ago to sign the bill. Surrounded by talk about park and tourism officials, he explained, "Once we get this made, we're likely to have something right here in Alabama on this coast as good as any you will find anywhere, and there exists by no means a require to leave Alabama to go to some convention or conference."

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