State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) says now that the Eagle Creek Resort Assessment study has been completed for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), companies that are interested in redeveloping the property on Lake Shelbyville will have a better idea about how they want to proceed, and the IDNR has announced they are willing to begin the process looking for new operators.
“We have been meeting with several interested groups over the past year who have expressed interest in the Eagle Creek Resort site and who have been waiting for this report,” Rose said. “These groups are serious companies with proven track records of success in hotel management, the hospitality industry, and resort management. There is serious interest in the property and to make it a crown jewel for our region.”
“I have been encouraged to see and hear from several qualified developers who are interested in the Eagle Creek Resort, and I look forward to working with them to take the next step,” Mayor Jeff Johnson of Shelbyville said. “I appreciate the work of IDNR and our local elected officials toward the goal of restoring Eagle Creek to its potential.”
“I am excited to see a new resort on the horizon at Eagle Creek,” said Dave Cruitt, the Shelby County Board Chairman. “We have a lot of work to do, but in the meantime, we have spoken with several experienced developers that have the ability to restore the property to its proper greatness. This is a collective positive step forward toward realizing the economic boost through tourism dollars that Shelby and Moultrie counties should expect from Eagle Creek Resort.”
“Our local group has met with multiple developers who have the knowledge and core competency to get this done the right way,” Mayor Ann Short of Sullivan said.
“For the last several months, local elected officials from both Shelby and Moultrie counties have been meeting in an attempt to help expedite the process of getting Eagle Creek back in a productive state,” David McCabe, the Moultrie County Board Chairman said. “We have identified several developers with an interest in Eagle Creek. Now that the engineering report has been completed, I’m confident a developer with both the expertise and financial capacity to operate a venue such as Eagle Creek will be identified.”
In 2009, the state-owned Eagle Creek Resort closed due to financial problems and environmental issues. It has since sat vacant. Rose says a major reason for the delay to get this assessment study done was due to former Governor Pat Quinn and his administration stonewalling the issue. Such stonewalling has only made the remediation issues worse.
“The Eagle Creek Resort property has several good things going that make it attractive to potential operators – a beautiful, well-manicured golf course, docks, and a commitment from the state to upgrade the sewer system,” Rose said. “I want to thank Governor Rauner, IDNR, and the countless local community leaders for making the revitalization of Eagle Creek Resort a priority. We are all committed to seeing hotel rooms, cabins, a banquet hall, and thousands of visitors at this site again.”
“I applaud the efforts local community leaders have shown on this issue,” State Rep. Adam Brown (R-Decatur) said. “It’s our intention to capitalize on the positive tourism impact this property can create through a revitalization.”
“I am glad that we finally have this report in hand and can now move forward,” Congressman John Shimkus (R-15th District) said. “I know the Army Corps is committed to working with state and local leaders to revive Eagle Creek.”
A copy of the Eagle Creek Resort Assessment can be found on the IDNR website at this link:
http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/news/Documents/EagleCreekResortAssessment.pdf