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Article published May 27, 2008 Vonroe marina to open in July
By Iva Butler of The Daily Times Staff
A 226-slip marina in Vonore located just past the U.S. 411 South bridge over Tellico Lake is scheduled to open in July as part of an upscale, multi-phase lodge and resort.
The $60 million Sequoyah Lodge and Lake Resort is an enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Nation in Cherokee, N.C. and a private company, Overhill Development Company of Dunedin, Fla., said Maxwell “Max” Ramsey, chairman of the board for the Friends of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum.
Richard Gehring is the managing partner of Overhill Development, which is providing all the financing for the lodge and resort.
TVA, which owns the lakefront property, granted the Cherokee surface development rights to 44 acres for 90 years, provided the use is consistent with current plans. The Sequoyah Lodge and Lake Resort will also include the museum site on 47.5 acres, two 11-acre parcels near the museum and a 5-acre private island. The museum property is on permanent loan to the Cherokee provided the land is used in the proper fashion, Ramsey said.
A portion of the money for use of the land and profits from the resort will go to Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, which is located just across the lake from the lodge and resort property on Highway 360.
Ramsey worked extensively during his career with American Indian tribes and their relationships with TVA, especially the Cherokee. He left TVA in 1994 and has chaired the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum since its creation in 1995. He continues to lead their efforts in new development projects and programs.
“It took 17 years to make the lodge and resort happen as a private/public sector project,” Ramsey said.
The marina will contain the boat slips, extra slips at the fuel docks, temporary parking for overnight guests and a sales and rental area in the harbor master area, he said. Slips are presently being rented.
“General contractor on the marina is Gary Hamilton, a local contractor. Pre-fabricated units were shipped in sections and Hamilton is installing them,” Ramsey said.
Phase I also contains a restaurant, lodge, 14 cabins and seven villas on the lake front.
Each of the three phases of the project will cost about $20 million. Some projects may shift between Phase II and III, Ramsey said.
He said there will be boat tours from the marina and possibly a boat will go from there to UT for football games.
“All the shoreline work is finished in the marina area,” he said.Multi-level restaurant
Once the marina is complete, a restaurant will be constructed on the land that has been leveled just up the hill from the marina.
The restaurant will seat 337 people — 186 in the main dining room. “The restaurant will be built on different levels so each level will have a view of the lake,” Ramsey said. “We anticipate that’s really going to be popular with people boating from Chattanooga and other places. You don’t often find a nice place to eat on the shore.” The restaurant will also have a conference area that can serve as a separate dining room for meetings that will seat 96 and have a bar that will seat 55.
A 14,500-square-foot conference hall that will seat 510 will be connected to the lodge by an overhead covered walkway.
It will contain a round rotunda that can be set up for dining or conferences that will have a capacity of 248 people.
There will also be two ballrooms with a capacity for 202 people. There will also be five small conference rooms that will seat 60 each. It will have a separate kitchen and food preparation area, he said.
Plans call for a retail center to be located south of the conference hall.
Next will be a special area for canoes and kayaks with a Kayak Lodge and Outfitters area.
These will be located left of the main entrance.
Directly in front of the entrance will be a swim club beach and sun terrace with large walkways and terrace areas out in the lake connected to the land. Seating will be located behind the beach area.
This section will also contain cabins and villas.
“Portions of Phase III will depend on how well the other two do,” Ramsey said.
Trees will separate the other areas from a Travel Center for recreational vehicles in Phase III. It will include a camping area, clubhouse, canoe lodge and sailing center, watercraft launch and more cabins and villas.
Eventually there is to be a high-rise hotel, he added.
Developers hope that the now-popular heritage tourism, or folks visiting places to learn about the past, will draw people to the resort. The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and Fort Loudoun both draw tourists and there are other historic areas nearby.