The cost of building the one-mile stretch of road through the battlefield will come to about $862,000, according to County Administrator Randy Dowling; the money would come out of 2005 SPLOST funds.
The state has indicated it will pull the $3.3 million that remain for the project if the county does not help with some of the cost of the battlefield project, which is slated to include a museum, a manned welcome center, theater and educational walks, among other attractions.
The city of Resaca has pledged $225,000 toward the road construction over an 18-month period, with a possible additional $25,000, according to Gordon County Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Ken Padgett.
The road, explained Commission Chairman Alvin Long, will allow the state to access the area and begin construction on the museum and interpretive centers. The road, he explained, is “going to be necessary to get this project off the ground.”
Commissioner Becky Hood expressed concern about the state’s level of commitment to the pro-ject. She said she supported the battlefield endeavor but was hesitant about committing money to the roadwork without a guarantee from the state for its portion of the project.
“I want to make sure everyone’s on the same page and knows what they’re committed to, and I don’t want to be left with a bill,” she stated.
Long said during the Tuesday evening meeting that a vote from the commissioners to go forward with road construction was necessary to let the state know the county is serious about the battlefield project.
The commissioners’ vote to put county funds toward the road construction included a stipulation that the money not be committed until the state commits to its portion in writing.
State officials said they will have a contract detailing county and state construction responsibili-ties in the next two weeks, Long said.
‘Unprecedented’ agreement
Long said the county has asked to be allowed to handle the entire park project using the state’s funds. Such an agreement, he said, “would be unprecedented.”
A county-constructed state park “will be one of the first in state history,” Padgett said.
The county has no input in the finances at the state’s New Echota Historic Site, but if this plan comes to fruition, Long said the county probably would have financial input at the battlefield in coming years “unless there is a significant turn in the state’s finances.”
The county, Long said, may be able to fund the construction for less money than the state. He said he hopes the county could complete the project under budget and have money left over to furnish the museum with exhibits.
The state has asked the county, Calhoun and Resaca to help with operating costs for up to five years, he said.
The DNR is still considering the proposal, he said.
Property acquisition
Commissioners also voted to make a temporary loan of $2.2 million to the county development au-thority for the acquisition of 100 acres of land the development authority has had an option to buy for some time.
Development authority attorney Bill Thompson said the temporary bridge financing will let the authority close the transaction with Oothcalooga LLLC sometime within the next 60 days. The au-thority will refund the borrowed money when the purchase transaction takes place or in the event the purchase does not occur, he said.
The land is located south of Calhoun on Highway 41 and bordering Interstate 75. The county has already built a road nearby and installed water and sewer lines, Dowling said. The purchase will allow the development authority to market land to prospective industrial buyers.
“We need the deal we like, not the deal they want to force us to take … that’s what the time (and the bridge loan) is for,” Thompson said.
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