When the Cherokee Campground first opened in 1958, little did we know that it would leave a trail behind that would again be cause for controversy and concern 61 years later.
Wayne Morrow and Julius Bostwick first signed their lease agreement in 1958 of what would become known as the Cherokee Campground. The lease was offered at an annual rate of $1,750 plus 3% of the gross revenue, and effective for 20 years. The duration however included a little caveat, and one that would become the reason for dispute and subsequent lawsuit in 1984.
Although the lease itself stipulated 20 years in total, it was only guaranteed for 10 years if and when $40K in capital improvements were made during that time. If the lessees could prove they had spent $65K, then the lease would automatically revert to a 20-year lease agreement.
Sounds simple and fair enough, were it not that the type of capital improvements were very specific. For example, Mr. Morrow and his partner Mr. Bostwick had to construct 1 bathhouse per 50 camping sites, or 3 bathhouses for 100 sites. In addition, they also had to construct a commissary* and were allowed to install a gasoline tank, only accessible to campground guests, in exchange for 3% of gross gasoline revenue.
In order for the new campground to be functional and operational, the Authority agreed to install a main waterline from the Plantation Subdivision to the entrance of the campground. The lessees were obviously responsible to connect the waterline to their new bathhouses and to install septic tanks and drainage fields**.
New bathhouses and bathrooms were constructed in 1964, to coincide with the public water/sewer “tap-in” policy of the Authority.
Only two years later, in 1966, the idea of terminating the campground lease and to self-operate this successful venture on the island surfaced during a regular board meeting but without any action or follow up.
In 1968, opinions about self-operating island businesses seem to have changed, and Cherokee Campground received an automatic 10-year lease extension, based on their fulfillment of capital improvements. At the same time, Mr. Fendig proposed to open a second campground on 16 acres of land, adjacent and east of Cherokee Campground. The land had already been cleared by the Authority when Mr. Fendig’s proposal was made.
Both these events and their simultaneous occurrence, combined with the Authority’s earlier decision to clear the land, should be carefully noted here.
In 1978, the Authority modified the original lease by adding additional capital improvement requirements in exchange for a second extension.
Less than 6 years later, 1984, the Authority terminated the Cherokee Campground lease based on violation of the terms and conditions of said lease, i.e. the required capital improvements of bathhouses and bathrooms in relation to the number of camp sites.
Without delay, the Authority took possession and began renovating the campground at a cost of $717K. The capital improvement was approved by the General Assembly, even though the funds were lacking.
This oversight was corrected in 1985 when the Authority requested a grant for a supplemental budget of $10.7 million***
Cherokee Campground, represented by Mr. Morrow and Mr. Bostwick, filed a lawsuit against the Authority in 1984 for wrongful termination of the lease agreement. The lawsuit was ultimately settled on July 14, 1988, but no details of the settlement are provided in any of the Authority archives.
With the title of the campground now being “free and clear”, the Authority proceeded to issue a Request For Proposal (RFP) to survey the adjacent land, east of the campground, for further expansion and an additional 200 camp sites****. No actions were taken based on the survey or the RFP in question until much later when a new Development Plan was proposed.
When the dust started to settle on the financial crisis of 2008, and a new and improved Development Plan was proposed in 2014, that is when the campground expansion was mentioned again, namely the 12 acres of cleared and disturbed land that dated back to 1968.
And here we are, five years later, when a renewed and probably heated debate will ensue. Not necessarily about the cost or the expansion, but about whether or not the 12 acres in question were already identified as disturbed or not.
If the answer is the former, than a simple adjustment of the 2014 Development Plan will solve the problem. If the latter is the case, than the new soon-to-be-developed acreage would be deducted from the magical 66 acres that remain to be developed and were agreed upon during that magical signing at Great Dunes Park on April 14, 2014.
The old adage tells us that time can heal all wounds, but it also erases most memories.
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Enjoy, and I hope to welcome you again next week for a new installment of my blog.
*The commissary building had to adhere to specific dimensions as stipulated in the original lease agreement, and could not measure less than 25 feet by 40 feet. (Authority Board meeting, 1958)
**The septic tanks and drainage fields were ultimately replaced in 1964 when the Authority completed its first public water and sewer system, at least on part of the island. (Authority Board meeting, minutes June 1963)
*** $7 million for a water park, $2 million for the Historic District, $1 million for the campground, and $700K for a tennis center. (Authority Board meeting, February 22, 1985)
****The RFP was sent to Quille E. Kinard & Associates, Jesup; George P. Underwood & Associates, Brunswick; and Atlantic Survey Professionals, Brunswick. (Authority Board meeting, 1988)
