Jekyll Island readies for festival

Visitors will get a chance to try southern dishes featuring shrimp and grits at the Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival this weekend. The festival kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday in Jekyll Island's picturesque historic district. Events will include shrimp and grits cooking competition, music, arts and crafts and antiques. The festival continues through Sunday.

Jekyll beach development halted

The company chosen to re-develop Jekyll island state park, Linger Longer, decided not to build condos on a public beach area. Conservation groups had opposed the idea and had tried to pass legislation to block it.

That failed, but people started a lobbying effort flooding lawmakers with calls and e-mails in protest.

Today the company said it would not longer build on the beach and legislation was not necessary. The Jeckyll island authority now plans to turn the area north of the convention center into a green space.

It is currently a parking lot. Republican Senator Jeff Chapman who tried but failed to protect the beach by law called the company's move a win for the people and credited their lobbying effort.

Lawmakers debate Jekyll Island redevelopment

Coming up this week in the state legislature, hearings on a half-mile stretch of land at the center of a 352-million dollar debate. The powerful House Rules Committee will vote on a measure supporters say is meant to protect a popular public beach located on Jekyll Island.

The beach is part of a 352 million dollar redevelopment plan already approved by the Island Authority.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Debbie Buckner of Junction City, prohibits high rise luxury condos on the beach.

Opponents say any proposal that limits redevelopment also limits revitalization of the island’s economy.

An amendment added late last week, would remove the expiration date of the state’s Coastal Management Act. And, in the process, prevent the loss of millions of federal coastal protection dollars.

Earlier this session, a pair of proposals to scale back redevelopment on Jekyll Island, failed to make it past a Senate economic development committee.

Bills to halt Jekyll Island redevelopment fail

This week allegations were made over redevelopment at Jekyll Island.
At a Senate committee meeting earlier this week, things got tense as Republican Senator Jeff Chapman of Brunswick traded barbs with the head of the Jekyll Island Authority.

Recently, redevelopment at the state owned park has centered around Chapman's allegations that the Jekyll Authority has purposely under reported its revenue for more than a decade.

"He published in all the media that we had hidden $11 million dollars from the public and that is an absolute untruth and the senator knew it when he said so," said Jekyll Island Authority Chair Ben Porter."

Chapman responded by saying,

"If the Chairman of the JIA has issue with and is bold enough to believe that the state department of audits records aren't accurate, well, I'll let him deal with them."

Chapman also contends the group has been negligent. First by allowing property at Jekyll to fall into disrepair. Secondly, by accepting a redevelopment proposal that radically changes the footprint of property on the island. Not true, however, says Jekyll Island spokesman Eric Garvey.

"That's a misunderstanding of the conditions of Jekyll Island. Now, most of the properties were built in the 60's. They grew old ... about the same time, because they were built about the same time. So, to accuse Jekyll Island Authority previous administrations over mismanagement, I just think is not accurate."

In addition to accusing Jekyll Island officials of under reporting revenue, Chapman says the group has under counted visitors to the site, by as much as 1.5 million visitors as far back as 1995. Chapman says he was able to track the numbers by combing through state archives of the DOT, because park visitors pay a fee.

Chapman was the main sponsor behind legislation that would have prohibited new private residential housing on any state-owned land, and would have limited the style and character of any new structures built in state park property. And, while Chapman called the defeat of the bills a blow for the average Georgian, Island officials say the opposite is true.

"Pass these three bills and I will promise you, you have killed the revitalize initiative that's underway. If you don't want to stop that, you need to stop these bills," says Porter.

Two of the three bills did not make it past the Senate Economic Development Committee. However, Chapman has vowed not to give up the fight.

The redevelopment plan for the state owned park calls for a 64 acre site with more than 1-thousand rental units, including condominiums and time shares. Total cost for the plan is 352-million dollars.

Losing company protests Jekyll decision

One of the companies passed over in Monday's "master developer" decision on Jekyll Island is protesting how the winning developer was chosen. At stake for developers is a potential three hundred fifty million-dollar contract with the state agency that runs Jekyll Island. At stake for the public is the future of the state park. Losing developer Wade Shealy says there appears to be one set of rules for the winning company and another for everyone else. On Monday, the state board that runs the island chose the Atlanta company Linger Longer to build a complex of new hotels, condos and retail sites on 63-acres. The problem is that the Jekyll Island Authority told developers in its Request for Proposal to come up with plans for a small, 45-acre site. Jekyll Island officials won't comment on Shealy's protest until he formally submits it. Shealy says he'll do that by the end of the week.

Jekyll Island re-development vote today

Jekyll Island’s governing board today will choose a master planner that will build hundreds of new condos and hotel rooms. There are three companies that are vying for the re-development job of a 45-acre "town center" tract of land. Critics however, fear today’s vote by the Jekyll Island Authority is a step in what could make visiting the state-owned island unaffordable to the average Georgian.