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Tweetsie may survive under county plan
Watauga may buy land threatened by developers
Tweetsie Railroad Photo
The Tweetsie Railroad theme park generates about $27 million a year for the local economy.
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Published: May 9, 2008
BLOWING ROCK - BLOWING ROCK - Watauga County officials propose to put up $3.15 million -- money it would eventually recover with interest -- to resolve a long-standing land issue that threatens to close Tweetsie Railroad, an anchor for millions of dollars in county tourism.
The train runs across land the theme park doesn't own, and rising property values mean that some of the landowners aren't willing to continue leasing land to Tweetsie when they could sell or develop it for much more money.
Watauga County proposes to spend $3.15 million to buy land needed to keep Tweetsie Railroad operating, provided the theme park would eventually buy the land back from the county government for the purchase price, plus interest and expenses.
The deal is part of an incentive package aimed at keeping the family-owned theme park open. The proposal also says that the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority would spend $1.1 million -- most of it on marketing Tweetsie and the surrounding area. The tourism authority raises money mainly through an occupancy tax on cabin and cottage rentals in the unincorporated portions of Watauga County.
Once the county buys the land, Tweetsie would lease the land for $1 a year for six years. After that, Tweetsie would lease the land at the market rate, until it buys the land back from the county government.
As part of the agreement, Tweetsie would invest $13 million in improvements and expansions to the park over 20 years, and would build a portion of the Middle Fork Greenway across its property for public use. The greenway will eventually offer a bike and pedestrian connection between Boone and Blowing Rock.
Officials from the county, the tourism authority and Tweetsie have all signed a nonbinding letter of intent describing the Tweetsie deal. The county will hold a public hearing on the issue May 20, before county commissioners vote on whether to approve the agreement.
Rob Holton, the chairman of the tourism authority, said that the arrangement would help Tweetsie and be good for the local economy.
"Our goal is to put more heads in beds to help our lodging and restaurant establishments," Holton said. "By keeping Tweetsie it makes a huge difference in attracting our tourism up here."
Tweetsie Railroad drew more than 235,000 visitors last year. An economic study shows that it helps generate about $27 million a year for the local economy. The theme park has 26 full-time employees and employs more than 300 people during its operating months from May through October.
Tweetsie Railroad Inc., the theme park's operating company, owns 87 acres and leases three additional parcels that make up 188 acres.
The 50-year leases might not have seemed much of an issue when the park was founded by Grover Robbins Jr. and a partner in 1957, but disputes about what to do with the land when the leases expired have threatened to derail Tweetsie. A compromise agreement is keeping the leases in place to allow the theme park to remain open through 2010.
A sometimes bitter family history and a new legal requirement to sell Tweetsie's controlling stock are adding to the complexity of negotiating a future for Tweetsie.
The proposed agreement says that the county has obtained contracts to purchase the portion of Tweetsie's leased land that is owned by Grover Robbins Jr.'s children Janice Robbins Elder and Mike Robbins for $3.15 million by the end of the year. The park has already obtained renewed leases for other portions of the park land, and the new leases extend through 2065.
Chris Robbins, the general manager of Tweetsie, said that the park can't buy the land without the county's help because its cash is tied up in ongoing improvements, stock buyout and higher lease payments.
The agreement would be good for the county, he said.
"A lot would go away if we weren't here," he said, discussing employment figures and the park's economic impact.
But there's also a sentimental factor at work in preserving something that's been part of the cultural identity of the mountains for more than 50 years.
■ Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
■ To read the proposed agreement between Tweetsie, Watauga County government and the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, visit www.wataugacounty.org.
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