Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 24, 1990 TAG: 9007240167
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER
DATELINE: RURAL RETREAT LENGTH: Medium
Tim Litz, elected as the new authority chairman, said the organization would be furnishing solid financial statements so that people would know how every penny furnished by the Wythe County Board of Supervisors and town of Rural Retreat was being used.
Both localities have provided additional funding for the 90-acre lake, swimming pool, fishing, boating, camping and picnicking facilities over the years, but the complex has never reached the stage where it could pay for itself. When the supervisors provided $19,000 of a requested $38,000, most of the authority members resigned and new appointments had to be made.
Some supervisors had complained that accounting procedures of previously funded appropriations were not as detailed as they should be.
Supporters of the lake had lobbied for full funding before the board meeting earlier this month, but Sam Wagner - who was reappointed lake manager by the authority - said the furor had not translated into more use of the facilities. "The negative publicity hasn't helped it a bit," he said.
The new authority members declared the negative publicity at an end - which is something they can probably make stick, because among the new members are Danny Gordon, news director at WYVE radio in Wytheville; Stephanie Porter, managing editor of the Southwest Virginia Enterprise; and Joe Heldreth, reporter for the Southwest Times.
Gordon said he had gotten a commitment from Jim Mabe at WMEV radio in Marion to have Mabe's popular Footloose band perform free some Friday nights at the lake in connection with fund-raising events like drawings for donated prizes or simply passing the hat.
"And we'll see how many people want to help the lake," Gordon said.
Herb Cooley, another new authority member, also is on a Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce committee with George James and Jackie King to seek donations from business people for the lake. Cooley said the committee simply wants accountability for the money spent, and the authority means to provide that.
Litz, who managed the lake for five years, said the authority's lease from the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which built the facility, restricts what charges can be made for its use. Many of the facilities are free to the public.
"The $19,000 that we've got, we can use every penny of it. You look around and there's plenty of things that can be done," Wagner said. Water leakage from the swimming pool is one immediate problem.
The authority named some of its members to three committees:
A planning committee consisting of the officers - Litz as chairman; Larry Crigger, vice chairman; Andy Kegley, a member of the county Board of Supervisors, as treasurer; and Porter as secretary.
A finance committee composed of Kegley, Heldreth and Cooley.
A promotions and publicity committee composed of Porter, Heldreth, Gordon and Porter Sage, owner and operator of Rural Retreat TV cable.
Wythe County Administrator Billy Branson suggested that the group work on a five-year capital improvements program for presentation to the governing bodies backing it.
The authority will hold a special meeting Aug. 2 to prepare a report on what capital improvements it plans to fund for the next Board of Supervisors meeting Aug. 14. The board wants the authority to return at its October meeting for another financial status report.
by CNB