Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 3, 1994 TAG: 9408030055
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITE|
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
The captain of the Pioneer Maid cruise boat, which takes passengers from the Claytor Lake State Park dock onto New River, learned that the state riverboat gambling bill, as it now stands, would not allow a boat in the New River Valley to participate.
``It just says that the activity will take place in the navigable waters of the state,'' agreed Tom Mountjoy, a general partner with the Annabel Lee riverboat in Richmond. But then it goes on to specify what the navigable waters are.
``I know New River is not in there,'' Mountjoy said, while such rivers as the Rappahannock and the James are specifically OK'd. Neither Barrett nor Mountjoy said they knew who put that provision in the last version of the bill, or why.
The gambling bill, which sought a statewide referendum on the matter, failed during this year's General Assembly session despite a lobbying effort costing $358,914.
In a final attempt at passage, supporters modified the bill to omit Western Virginia in an effort to win the support of conservative area legislators who oppose casino gambling.
When the bill is reintroduced next year, Barrett is concerned that the New River and Southwest Virginia be included.
``Tourism now generates more income than farming in our area and is now our fastest-growing industry,'' Barrett told members of Virginia's Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands Inc., a tourism promotional group for the region, at its meeting aboard his cruise boat last month.
But, he said, ``some actions of our state government almost seem to be designed to destroy the tourism industry in Southwest Virginia.''
Barrett was talking not only about the riverboat gambling bill, but state charges for allowing brochures to be placed in state-owned visitor centers and advertising in state-sponsored tourism publications.
Small advertisers, such as many of those in Southwest Virginia, sometimes pay three times as much as those in neighboring states for such ads, he said, at the same time the state is giving the Disney Corp. $166 million toward its Northern Virginia development.
``It is no wonder tourism is flat in Virginia,'' he said.
But the riverboat gambling bill, naturally, took the brunt of his criticism.
``This bill, if enacted, will treat Southwest Virginia voters as idiot stepchildren. Voters in every other section of the state will decide by referendum if they want to participate,'' he said. ``The future of Mississippi riverboat-style gambling in Southwest Virginia must be decided here, as it will be in every other section of the commonwealth ... not by under-the-table bargains quietly made in Richmond.''
Barrett later said that employment from riverboat gambling could go as high as the number of employees at Radford Arsenal, including security, administrative, food service, marketing, accounting, secretarial, driving, maintenance and reservations people. Only about 20 percent of the direct employment would be in the riverboat casino itself, he said.
He estimated that approval of riverboat gambling in this area would mean about 1,500 direct jobs and ``who knows how many indirect jobs'' spinning off from those. ``We would have been really high on the list,'' he said, for the potential new industry if local option were allowed in Southwest Virginia.
``The state government must not be allowed to pass this or any other economic development act which excludes one of the poorest sections,'' he said. ``And the governor should veto any such discriminatory law, if passed.''
He said other existing laws and policies that retard tourism growth in Southwest Virginia should also be reviewed and revised. He urged the tourism group to form a legislative committee to study and formulate positions on present and proposed state laws, regulations or policies ``which impact our industry'' and explain their effects to governing bodies at all levels as well as the public.
The Virginia's Southwest organization approved his recommendation. Barrett has volunteered to serve on the committee.
by CNB