On March 13, AJC reporter Dan Chapman filed a story that is nothing more than a re-hash of events that have already taken place and of information that has already be cleared up. Mr. Chapman was sent complete information that explains the accounting issue, along with letters from the State Auditor and reports from the Attorney General that show that the claims against the Jekyll Island State Park Authority are not true. Below are a few points to consider as you read this article:

1. The headline is remarkably similar to that used by Sen. Chapman in his discredited press release.

2. The writer refers to Sen. Chapman as the “region’s top legislator…” One must recognize House Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons), Senator Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) and Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams (R-Lyons). No disrespect to Sen. Chapman, but Rep. Cecily Hill (R-Kingsland) and Rep. Roger Lane (R-Darien) also appear to have more legislation and more committee appointments.

3. The State Auditor is Russell Hinton, and he has sent letters acknowledging that Jekyll Island Authority’s numbers do add up! Mr. Thornton is a staff person in the Department of Audits. We have talked to Mr. Hinton, and so have many legislators that wanted to get a direct an explanation.

4. Dan Chapman, along with Sen. Chapman play with words with respect to the 2006 Annual Report. It shows a net loss, after depreciation! Most people know that depreciation is a non-cash expense, so yes the Earnings Statement shows a loss. But when you convert it to cash flow, the Jekyll Island Authority did not lose money. We are not allowed to by statute, we must be financially self-supporting. And of course when you add Grant Funds, you have even more money. But then you also have to look at the expense side of those, and all that money was spent on specific capital improvement projects.

5. The words “local sales tax revenues used for sewer projects…” refers to SPLOST projects on Jekyll Island that were approved by voters of Glynn County. Just like Grants that do not have to be repaid, SPLOST funds go directly on the balance sheet against the specific capital improvement project. We think it would be more misleading to include that on an Earnings Statement.

6. Dan Chapman repeats a quote from Sen. Chapman that the Jekyll Island Authority is “crying wolf.” I asked Dan Chapman to look at our Annual Reports or any other communication that the Jekyll Island Authority has put out, and honestly determine if we do anything of the sort. All of our communication is about positive accomplishments. The simple fact is that we identified the clear downward trend in visitation and started talking about how to solve it many years ago. That is the basis we have used for the initiative to revitalize Jekyll Island. We have not pointed to year-to-year variations in statistics, but the long-term downward trend and how to reverse it.

Even if you want to acknowledge Mr. Egan’s assertion that visitation is down only 15%, it is still accurate to say that the trend is downward, that it is “lagging” as it is counter to the tremendous growth in the region both in terms of population and tourism.

7. Dan Chapman failed to mention that Sen. Chapman’s concern over the Trammell Crow agreement was reviewed by the Attorney General and he found no problems with it, and that it is incorrect to call it a tax abatement nor does it violate the gratuities law. The Attorney General determined it is a standard property lease.

8. I understand the local radio talk show host took particular offense to my quote at the end of the article. That quote was pulled from my statement to Dan Chapman specific to the question over the traffic data between 1996-1997, not financial information. I was trying to explain the purpose of compiling these visitation numbers, and that the focus of our analysis will be to determine the optimum amount of visitation for the experience we want guests to have on Jekyll Island. We are looking forward, and want to have expert analysis help answer this important question.

9. Lastly, the chart again only chooses to show the revenue differences. As we have shown, there are also expense differences that net out to basically reflect the fact that we put Grants right onto our balance sheet as an asset, and the Audit Department converts them to revenue to incorporate into their CAFR. So they have only shown half of the story.

Chairman Porter responds:

“Mr. Chapman is consistent. He consistently tells half of the story, and doesn’t bother to check sources and learn the other half. As usual, his story today contains partial, incorrect information intended to mislead the public.”

Tags: atlanta journal constitution, Dan Chapman, Jeff Chapman, jekyll island authority
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By Dick Yarbrough

3/11/08) Depending on who you talk to, Jekyll Island is about to be taken over by greedy real estate developers and turned into a fancy vacation resort with prices out of reach to ordinary Georgians, or it is a seedy, financially-strapped rundown shell of its former self.

There is no question that Jekyll Island needs a facelift. Major convention groups, including the prestigious Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters among others, left Jekyll Island a number of years ago because of poor accommodations and inadequate meeting facilities. They are not coming back until things improve.

To that point, the Jekyll Island Authority solicited bids for revitalizing the island — much to the consternation of some of the locals — and in September awarded the business to Linger Longer Communities, which lists among its developments Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, in Greensboro. As mandated by state law, only 35 percent of the island is available for development.

Jim Langford is project director for the $350 million Jekyll project and even his opponents concede that he is not your typical developer type. Langford headed the Georgia Trust for Public Land before signing on with Linger Longer. “Some people even called me a tree-hugger,” he jokes. But he turns serious on Jekyll’s 63-acre proposed development. “We are trying to do something good for the people of Georgia,” he says.

Langford says the redevelopment plan covers less than 1 percent of Jekyll’s total acreage and less than 8 percent of Jekyll’s nine miles of beaches includes a new convention center, new hotels and rental cottages and will be a model for environmental design and construction. The developer says the plan gives visitors and Georgia families a wide range of affordable accommodation choices. Opponents say Linger Longer is being overly creative in their use of numbers and are working overtime to kill the project, but with little success. State Sen. Jeff Chapman (R-Brunswick) had three bills opposing Linger Longer’s plans recently rejected in committee hearings in the Legislature.

Langford has had a number of meetings with citizens to get their input and concedes that some changes could be in the works before a revised plan is presented to the JIA in late March. The Linger Longer proposal anticipates hotels up and running in just three years and the new convention center operational in 2013.

“No way that is going to happen,” declares Ed Boshears, a former state legislator and a member of the Jekyll Island Authority. Boshears is one of the vocal opponents of the project. He says that in order to begin the project, the developer must first get a permit under the Shore Protection Act, a complicated piece of legislation that requires approval of any construction taking place near the beaches. The permit process starts with a review of the permit by a citizen review committee, then a vote within the State Department of Natural Resources, and if either side loses, the appeal process goes to an administrative law judge and can be appealed to the Superior Court, Court of Appeals and all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court. Boshears cites a small marina in Camden County that has spent the last three years in the appeal process. A project as complex as the Linger Longer development could be tied up in the courts for years, he predicts.

To try and kill the development is, in my opinion, a futile and misguided effort. Opponents would be better served to work with Linger Longer Communities and affect changes that both sides can live with. Jekyll Island badly needs revitalizing. Stopping the redevelopment of the island is not the answer.

What would be most helpful would be for sides to remember that Jekyll Island belongs not to the locals or to developers or to the Jekyll Island Authority. It belongs to all of us. It is a self-sustaining facility and an extraordinary and under-appreciated resource in Georgia.

No matter where you live in the state, you need to be tuned into what is happening on Jekyll Island. Somewhere between run-down motels and a $350 million development sits the future of one of Georgia’s crown jewels.

Tags: Dick Yarborough, Jekyll Island Authority Chairman Ben Portere, jekyll island development, jekyll island revitalization
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Jekyll Island State Park Authority marketing Annual Report 2007

Jekyll Island State Park Authority marketing Annual Report 2006

Jekyll Island State Park Authority marketing Annual Report 2005

Jekyll Island State Park Authority marketing Annual Report 2004

Jekyll Island State Park Authority FY07 year-end Balance Sheet

Jekyll Island State Park Authority FY06 year-end Balance Sheet

Jekyll Island State Park Authority FY05 year-end Balance Sheet

Jekyll Island State Park Authority FY04 year-end Balance Sheet

Jekyll Island State Park Authority Department of Audits Management Report FY07

Jekyll Island State Park Authority Department of Audits Management Report FY06

Jekyll Island State Park Authority Department of Audits Management Report FY05

Jekyll Island State Park Authority Department of Audits Management Report FY04

Tags: jekyll island, jekyll island development, jekyll island facts, jekyll island revitalization
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By John Hunter, Director of the Jekyll Island Museum

The question of Jekyll Island and its future is not new to the General Assembly or the citizens of Georgia. From the day it was purchased from the Jekyll Island Club in 1947, it has been a source of controversy. This place of beauty and history draws people. It creates memories and “firsts” that last generations. It is a place that is and should always be enjoyed by all. In 1950, the State of Georgia realized that for Jekyll Island to reach its full potential as a resort destination, it should be broken free from the State Parks system and direct control by the General Assembly, and be charged with a new course. This course would be codified and legislated, and would be a unique new partnership between state government and the private sector. Pre-dating the current buzz word “public/private partnership” by almost 50 years, this experiment would create the Jekyll Island State Park Authority - a state agency given the tools of the private sector to create and operate business, attract private investment, and develop a resort that provided beach access to all. A Master Plan for developing the island was completed in 1951. Using a combination of legislative appropriations, revenue bonds, and private investment a modern resort destination was created that featured golf courses, motels, residential areas, and recreational amenities while providing for care of the island’s rich natural and historic resources. This was done with the goals of maintaining 65% of the island in its natural state, make it as affordable and available as possible to all, and with the business model and mandated goal of being self-sufficient.

The bulk of development on Jekyll was completed by 1974. By the late 1970s, Jekyll had begun to suffer during a period of national economic stagnation. Downturns in tourism and the economy challenged Jekyll’s ability to remain self sufficient. As facilities aged and tourism trends shifted, and little changed on the island, a cycle of boom and bust was fostered between 1979 - 2007. When changes were planned, many were met with resistance - the Sea World type attraction in 1974, a new marina with condos in the early 1980s, the Great Dunes golf course expansion in 1994; and some were embraced - the rehabilitation of the Jekyll Island Club in 1985, continued improvement in the Historic District, the creation of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. All of these ideas were the result of trying to improve the economics of the island, knowing there are continued pressures on revenues when you are operating a resort designed and built in the 1950s but are tying to capture today’s travel markets and compete with other destinations. At all of these moments of debate, the general solution has been to fix what we have - to “update it” with fresh coat of paint, a new owner, or a renewed marketing push. At best, we would add a new attraction like Summer Waves and hope it would bring enough to the bottom line that we could improve another area. This “boom” of investment would go “bust” a few years later when people who returned to a “new” hotel found the same “old” hotel, and while they loved the island they would choose not to come back. That is not to say Jekyll Island does not have a loyal following, it does - for those who appreciate what it is and those who dream about what it could be. But many times that loyalty is based upon a visit long ago, or a memory created and shared and does not result in economic stability through frequent visitation or investment. Some of those loyalist stick it out because of that love, and keep their convention on the island for 40 years - until even they can’t justify the return to an island that just can’t meet their needs. The new visitors become harder to keep as well because while they are attracted to the island, their desire for modern accommodations and amenities drives them to other destinations. The end result of this cycle is long term stagnation. While revenues may grow, they can’t keep up with the aging facilities and their needs. You keep up to degree, but there is never enough funding for true investment that can make a lasting economic impact. Operationally, the island suffers because they get behind on technology, or new efficient methods, and business suffers because you can not compete.

So how is it solved? That is the $500 million dollar question. While money is not always the answer, in this case money is the question. Jekyll Island has a choice, create a new model for the island or continue on a well worn path. If you chose the new model who will fund it? In today’s world would the State of Georgia be able to invest $500 million in the long term sustainability of the Island? Where would the money come from? Cuts to education or transportation? A new tax from somewhere? The State of Georgia gave us that answer in 2007 - find the investment in the private sector. So today we move forward with revitalizing the island because it is what we must do. We must find new investment. We must compete. We must change. If we do not do these things, we will never see the what we all want for the Island - a thriving interactive historic district with well maintained buildings, picnic areas and public areas that are safe and free, be an eco-friendly sustainable destination, have the ability to add new amenities that meet the needs and interests of our visitors, or create educational programs and opportunities that highlight our nature and history. Worst of all, we might not be able to protect the island from future development when some decides that “enough is enough” with the question of Jekyll Island.

Tags: jekyll island, jekyll island development, jekyll island history, jekyll island museum, jekyll island revitalization
Posted in History comes Alive, Just the Facts | 2 Comments »

Ben Porter, Chairman of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority, issued the following statement:

Statements contained in a news release issued yesterday by State Senator Jeff Chapman are false and are intentionally misleading.  Mr. Chapman’s news release grossly and deliberately misrepresented facts and implied impropriety regarding the financial reporting practices of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority. 

The Authority has not “withheld financial information from the public.”  There is no “unreported fund of eleven million dollars.”  No money received by the Authority has been “hidden from public view.”  All Authority financial information is reported on a regular basis and is a matter of public record.

Mr. Chapman’s repeated attempts to derail the revitalization of Jekyll Island have failed.  Now, he has resorted to false claims to further his effort.

The Senator’s claim of improper reporting of Jekyll visitation by the Authority is also false and misleading.  Mr. Chapman is well aware that conventions, hotel occupancy, golf courses, the Water Park and all visitation to Jekyll have declined in recent years.

Members of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority will provide additional information at hearings to be conducted by Senate and House legislative committees Thursday afternoon.

The Jekyll Island Authority will revitalize Jekyll Island, as directed by the Governor and The Georgia Legislature, for the benefit of nine million Georgians.

Tags: Jeff Chapman, jekyll island authority, jekyll island facts, jekyll island financial reporting
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Tue, Feb 26, 2008 By ANNA FERGUSON , The Brunswick News

      Jim Langford remains calm in the face of adversity.

      Despite a row of hurdles tossed his way in recent weeks, he has yet to break a sweat.

      As project manager for the revitalization Linger Longer Communities is proposing for Jekyll Island, Langford has met with supporters and opponents, backers and detractors.

      The $341 million plan calls for new hotels, convention center and condominiums.
Opposition is not unexpected. And it’s not as bad as it sounds, he said.

      ”We expected to have opposition to our plan,” Langford said. “But everything is still very much on track. We’re not deterred in the least.”

       Resistance to the plan as outlined by the Jekyll Island Authority and Linger Longer, its private sector partner, extends all the way to the Georgia General Assembly, where bills introduced in the House and Senate threaten to stop or alter the project in a major way.

       The most recent legislation was introduced Thursday in the Georgia General Assembly by Democrats, who are calling for greater preservation efforts to be utilized in the redevelopment plan for the island. Introduced by Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, House Bill 1289 calls for revitalization of the island to be energy efficient, affordable and away from Jekyll’s sand dunes.

       The Democratic bill comes several weeks after Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, announced a few measures of his own. Chapman, a long-time opponent to Linger Longer’s $341 million revamping blueprint, introduced bills earlier this month that would essentially put an end to the project.

      Despite the newly launched measures, the Linger Longer agenda is moving forward with overwhelming support from local government, the business community and the Jekyll Island Legislative Oversight Committee, Langford said.

       “We still feel that we are being supported,” he said. “These new bills are pretty unreasonable and we think that is pretty obvious.”

       Ed Boshears, former state senator and a member of the board of the Jekyll Island Authority, doesn’t understand why debate over the new legislative measures is necessary. Linger Longer’s plans are not set in stone and are in the process of being reworked, he said.

       In other words, it’s too soon to take sides, he said.

         “I don’t see what everyone is so worked up about,” Boshears said. “The Linger Longer plan has yet to be finalized. We don’t know what the exact plan will be yet.

        Everyone is looking at this as if it’s either-or. Either you are for Linger Longer or against it. But you can be for Linger Longer without being for every aspect of their plan.”

Tags: Jeff Chapman, jekyll island, jekyll island revitalization, linger longer
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Regarding the opinion letter by David Egan on February 11, there are many incorrect statements need to be corrected:

1. The Jekyll Island State Park Authority has been working with the concept of a “town center” (that is land-planner lingo, not ours) since 2005, not in recent months.
2. The Authority asked for proposals through a public Request For Proposals. Linger Longer Communities did not introduce the plan unsolicited, it was a result of the RFP that was brought about in the course of a very deliberate and paced revitalization initiative that began with the Jekyll Island Master Plan Update in 2004.
3. Public opinion given to the Authority is strongly in support of the Beach Village concept plan, there appears to be only a small group of detractors.
4. There is nothing to substantiate the claim that the Authority’s traffic figures are incorrect or that the methodology changed. There is a variety of data that reflects a decline in visitation over the past 16 years that is on the order of 50%. None of the data is a specific traffic count, so there have been many attempts at estimating actual visitation. The visitation number posted on the compiled statistics takes the vehicle count, and multiplies by the “average party size” recorded in the prevailing guest survey of that particular year. This is not an actual number, and the JIA has only used this to look at a long-term trend.
5. A new Convention Center and Convention Center Hotel are key components of the “town center”, which is more accurately described as a beach village. These new facilities are the top priority in order to achieve revitalization as they will attract conventions that once met on Jekyll Island, as well as attract additional meetings and conventions. Meetings & conventions are important to revitalization because they provide economic stability through mid-week business outside of the traditional travel or holiday periods.
6. Outside of the Beach Village concept plan, there are currently three hotel replacement projects at various stages of planning. If each is completed as currently planned, the addition to hotel inventory over what is being replaced will only be 329 units. If you add the number of units in the Beach Village concept plan (which is being revised and may not have the same number), then the lodging inventory including condominium rental units would double.
7. The Authority has not placed a label on its critics, but is being clear that Sen. Chapman’s legislation would effectively stop the revitalization of Jekyll Island, which is contrary to the direction given to the Jekyll Island Authority by the Governor and General Assembly over the past five years and specifically conflicts with HB214 signed into law last year.
8. The Beach Village concept plan does just what Mr. Egan suggests, through the creation of a new Environmental Discovery Center the nature-based tourism opportunities on the beautiful Georgia coast will be highlighted and promoted to a much higher degree.

Misinformation has been generating negative bias towards the Jekyll Island State Park Authority, Linger Longer Communities and our plans for the revitalization of Jekyll Island. We find that once clarity is given to the mission, the strategy and the ideas, most people become supportive.

Tags: , atlanta journal constitution editorial, jekyll island, jekyll island facts, jekyllislandfacts.com
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APPENDIX B – Historical Data

Jekyll Causeway Vehicle Count (GDOT)
2006   4260 daily
2005   3730 daily
2004   4270 daily
2003   3941 daily
2002   4960 daily
2001   3200 daily
2000   3700 daily
1999    3600 daily
1998    3600 daily
1997    4300 daily
1996    4500 daily
1995    6700 daily
1994    8900 daily
1993    3900 daily
1992    4724 daily
1991    6626 daily
1990    8467 daily

AVG - 4232
Annual - 1,544,680

SSI Causeway Vehicle Count
2006    31670
2005    31190
2004    30879
2003    29164
2002    28411

AVG – 30262
Annual – 11,045,630

Jekyll Causeway Capacity (GDOT’s ” Acceptable Levels of Service”)

18,000 - 21,000 vehicles daily

JEKYLL RESIDENTS (U.S. Census)

1990 – 1,150 2000 – 950

JEKYLL GREENSPACE (internal staff calculation)

Approximately 80% of the island is green space.

JEKYLL RESIDENTS (U.S. Census)

1990 – 1,150 2000 – 950

JEKYLL GREENSPACE (internal staff calculation)

Approximately 80% of the island is green space.

The following file is a table of hotel room nights, golf rounds, traffic counts, etc.: jekyll_island_statistical_data.pdf 

Tags: jekyll island, Jekyll Island Statistics, Jekyll Island traffic counts, Jekyll Island visitation
Posted in In the News, Just the Facts | 2 Comments »

     This post is in response to Al Hurt’s editorial in the Atlanta Journal Constitution 02/05/2008.

     By Eric Garvey, Senior Director of Marketing & Business Development Jekyll Island State Park Authority

     Jekyll Island, Ga. — The Jekyll Island State Park Authority is not accustomed to making headlines or stirring up controversy. Most of our work here involves things like protecting sea turtle nests, preserving historic sites, serving conventioneers, taking care of day visitors and vacation guests; and maintaining some of the country’s most natural and pristine beaches.

     But since last fall, when the Authority chose a private revitalization partner to assist us in redeveloping the central area of the island, a small number of vocal critics have raised questions and, frankly, have spread misinformation about the Authority’s efforts and its mission.

     The General Assembly created the Authority in 1950 to manage Jekyll Island, a state-owned coastal treasure to be enjoyed by all Georgians. Each day we work hard to be trustworthy stewards, conserving and preserving the island’s vast natural and cultural resources through the use of revenues generated by providing services, programs and amenities that maximize benefits to everyone on the island.

     To accomplish our mission, we must attract visitors to Jekyll Island each year, and generate enough revenue to keep state taxpayers from paying the substantial cost of running the island.

     Faced with lagging attendance and declining revenue, the Authority launched an effort to revitalize its aging hotels, shops and convention center. Because the majority of the structures were built in the 1960s, it was clear that the change was going to involve a great amount of redevelopment. The Authority is not a real estate developer, and it made good sense to find a high-quality private partner to help us.

     In September 2007, the Authority concluded a public Request For Proposal by selecting Georgia-based Linger Longer Communities as our revitalization partner. In its proposal, Linger Longer presented a Beach Village concept that would create a wonderful new destination on the island.

      There have been understandable questions about the revitalization, but there are a number of key facts that the public should know:

      The Beach Village proposal is a concept plan. This is not a final plan, and public input is being used to change and enhance it. The Authority, working with Linger Longer, will take as much time as needed to ensure we have a plan that limits impact on the natural environment, returns reasonable revenue to the Authority, and best serves the people of Georgia.

      The Beach Village concept plan is contained for the most part to previously developed areas, where the aging convention center and strip shopping center sit. It covers less than 2% of the island and our final plan will improve both the view and access to this beach area.

      There are no plans to build on the beach. All construction will be behind the natural sand dunes, and will comply with Georgia’s Shoreline Protection laws.

      The Beach Village will be a model for an environmentally-sensitive development, using LEED and EarthCraft standards for all new construction. Jekyll Island will be the first coastal area to do this.

      The Authority has repeatedly committed that Jekyll Island, including the new Beach Village, will remain affordable and accessible to all Georgians.

      The Beach Village plan was recently discussed in a series of public meetings throughout Georgia. Linger Longer and Authority representatives have been touring the state talking with civic groups and environmental organizations, as well as many Jekyll Island and Georgia residents in their homes.

      The Authority’s Board of Directors and the Jekyll Legislative Oversight Committee have also held public sessions, the most recent on Jan.15th at the State Capitol. The bulk of these meetings have been dedicated to hearing public feedback.

      And as a state entity, the Authority holds monthly public meetings, always reserving time on its agenda for public comment.

      Our critics, though vocal, are a minority. Many people across the state, from business leaders to island residents to regular guests, support the plan to enhance the offerings on Jekyll Island.

      While recently in Brunswick, Gov. Sonny Perdue gave strong words of support for Jekyll Island’s revitalization. The Legislative Oversight Committee, including its leaders, Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams and House Majority Leader Jerry Keen also have commended the progress-to-date.

      The Glynn County Commission has publicly endorsed the plans, as has the Brunswick/Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce. The Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia voted to support Jekyll Island revitalization, and meeting planners from around the state have committed more than $25 million in new business if the plans progress.

      Over the past fifteen years, Georgians have voted with their wallets — by not coming to Jekyll Island as they used to, and instead spending their beach vacations in other states. That silent, but powerful vote demonstrates a need for change.

      Based on public input that we continue to receive, the Authority with Linger Longer is making revisions to its plans, and we expect to release a revised version this spring. The revised concept will again welcome an additional round of public comment and review.

      In addition, we will continue each day to welcome all Georgians and their guests to Jekyll Island, care for sea turtles and restore our historic sites. And to help provide on-going facts, we will post updated information, here at the web address www.jekyllislandfacts.com.

Tags: atlanta journal constitution, jekyll island, jekyll island public comment, jekyll island redevelopment, jekyll island revitalization, linger longer
Posted in In the News, Just the Facts | 2 Comments »