Dayton city officials are searching for a contractor to occupy a building at Dayton City Park, near the site of many successful fishing tournaments over the years.
However, contractors located there cannot make a profit. Even though the city owns the building, the Tennessee Valley Authority owns the property it stands on, and there are restrictions on what can happen there.
“They're tying our hands on what we can and can't do,” Dayton Mayor Harley Marsh said during a city council recess Tuesday afternoon.
For about eight to 10 months, the city has been unsuccessfully negotiating with TVA to ease long-standing conditions for permanent access to the land, Marsh said. The 40-foot-by-80-foot building that previously housed The Boat Dock fishing tackle store and restaurant had been vacant for more than a year, prompting the city to move forward with construction despite the building's limited lifespan. He said he decided to move forward.
The City Council unanimously approved receiving bids from contractors interested in operating business in city buildings. Approximately six people attended the meeting.
City Manager David Shinn told the City Council that under the contract with TVA, contractors cannot make any improvements to the building or make a profit, but they do receive a set fee. However, he also said that he could receive compensation. Bonus. The contractor will run a restaurant and he will collect fees from 25 boat launches nearby.
Singh said the city is still determining how much it will pay the contractor, but the new contractor will not retain the equipment currently in the restaurant.
City Attorney Susan Arnold said several aspects of the agreement need to be confirmed with TVA before the concession is put up for bid.
Marsh said there has been a lull in fishing tournaments in the city since the Rhea County Economic and Community Development Director, who organizes the tournaments, has resigned.
Terry Hammer, who lives in Mount Dayton, attended the meeting because vacation rental bookings are down significantly. This was his first time attending a city council meeting.
“There are no reservations,” she said. “What happened to the boat tournament?”
Hammer said he got answers after listening to Marsh's story, but was disappointed that fishing tournaments have stalled. Aside from the taxes she pays for the gas on her boat and rentals like hers, she said the tournament does a great job of bringing money into the community.
At the Welcome Center in Dayton, Rhea County Executive Assistant for Economic and Community Development Brandi Anderson said there is a busy schedule of fishing tournaments planned for the spring and fall. Not all scheduled fishing tournaments are added to the department's website, she said, and by contract, tournament organizers are the first to announce tournaments.
Anderson said the council will select new directors and begin work in the coming months.
She said she doesn't have current statistics on the economic impact of fishing tournaments, but they are important to area hotels and vacation rentals.
Phillip Williams, owner of Real Deal Tackle, said his business extends beyond the city building located in the park. He found a large building about a mile away on Highway 27, but it currently doesn't sell food, only bait and fishing gear.
He said having to deal with both city and TVA regulations may be why it took so long to fill the space, but the problem has been blown out of proportion.
“I think we just couldn't find the right tenant to rent it out,” Williams said by phone.
He said he expects another restaurant to open in the original location. He said business remains strong in the new location, as the store is currently located next to a hotel and the relocation option may allow for easier parking during tournaments at the park.
Bobby Thompson, an Athens resident, said he comes to the waters near Dayton City Park to fish about once a week.
During a fishing break, he said he would like to see more parking for anglers at the park. Thompson said he also enjoys eating at the restaurant as part of his regular fishing trips and hopes the restaurant will return to the location.
He said fishing tournaments aren't a problem because they don't happen every weekend, but he would like to see them spread out to reduce the strain on the locations.
Before taking his boat out to go fishing near Dayton City Park, Dayton resident Jeff Barnett saw a boat repair shop in the building, as there aren't many boat repair shops in the area. He said he would like to.
Ethan Travis, who lives in the Garrison area of Rhea County, said he hopes to see a family-run restaurant in the building. According to him, there aren't many non-chain restaurants in the city.
“And maybe we could set up a little stage outside and have local people come and perform live music,” Travis said over the phone. “I think that's a really good thing.”
He said the biggest problem with parks near boat launches is crowding with local residents during tournaments. Travis said the tournaments only make the rich richer and overfish all the good spots on the lake.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timefreepress.com or 423-757-6659.
