Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 17, 1995 TAG: 9506190012
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
More than 500 families responding to a survey said they would be interested in joining.
Barton J. Wilner, who is spearheading the project, said Friday he is "diligently working" on preparation of a business plan. He hopes to have it finished in late July.
Carilion Health System, a Roanoke hospital operator, owns the mansion and plans to put it on the market, along with some other properties, at the end of this month. The property, formerly a home that served as the Roanoke Fine Arts Center, is valued at more than $1 million.
Wilner has said it would cost another $3 million to $4 million to remodel the South Roanoke structure. The property covers most of the block on Carolina Avenue between 22nd and 23rd streets.
Wilner said he received a 22 percent response to the 2,500 questionnaires he mailed this month. More than 500 families gave a positive response, he said. It would take an estimated 400 to 500 member families to make the club viable.
Even those who indicated they would not join wrote that the proposal was a great idea that would boost the community, Wilner said.
He said he is working on a plan that will include estimated construction and financing costs and operating costs if the club were open. Wilner is receiving advice from an architectural firm in Atlanta, club managers and other consultants. He plans to go to Richmond for more consultations next week.
When the plan is completed, he will write the interested families to inform them of the cost to join and maintain membership in the proposed club. Wilner said the proposal is far from a done deal.
by CNB