2015 JMGBL Awards Application Submission Date 2015-06-26 17:02:04 This application is for: J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award Project Title Green Pond Landing County/Counties Anderson Staff Contact Angela Stringer Job Title Communications Director E-mail Address [email protected] Phone Number 8649346451 Please provide a summary of Anderson County is an active recreation community. Green Pond Landing & Event your entry (no more than 100 Center is a high capacity boating facility that benefits the local citizen as well as words) to be used in a attracts international tournaments. Green Pond is an economic force in the Anderson handout for the awards community which stimulates the regional economy in Upstate South Carolina. competition and included in press releases/publications. You may either type the summary in the text box or upload it as an attachment below. Presentations may include Angela Stringer more than one speaker; Matt Schell however, each speaker Sharon Nicometo should be aware that the 10- minute time limit is strictly enforced. Please list the name, title, and e-mail address of each speaker: Will any of the speakers need No accommodations (wheelchair accessibility, etc.) during the awards competition? To submit these attachments FINAL-SCAC.pdf online, please upload Microsoft Word or PDF documents below. GREEN POND LANDING & EVENT CENTER SC ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES 2015 J. MITCHELL GRAHAM ANDERSON COUNTY adf SCAC J. Mitchell Graham Award Green Pond Landing & Event Center Recreation is a vital part of Anderson County's future growth. When industry searches for a new home, quality of life is always a top tier priority. Prospective companies ask - what makes Anderson County unique that we can utilize to attract and retain a qualified and talented workforce? Green Pond Landing & Event Center builds upon Anderson County's many assets and natural resources, especially Hartwell Lake. Benefit/Importance of Project 1. Why was this project undertaken? Although Hartwell Lake has long been considered one of Upstate South Carolina’s greatest assets by locals, it has pretty much remained a hidden treasure. However, 2015 brought the 56,000-acre lake to the international stage. Shortly after her 50th Anniversary Celebration, Lake Hartwell got a ‘facelift’ called Green Pond Landing and Event Center. Accompanying the completion of this new mega-ramp and state-of-the-art facility was the notoriety to attract a world-class event, the 2015 Geico Bassmaster Classic. Several factors influenced the undertaking of this project. In 2008, Hartwell Lake had a ‘last-minute’ opportunity to host the Bassmaster Classic due to severe drought conditions on the previously selected venue. County leadership and staff were struck with the realization that there was no single facility on Lake Hartwell formally and fully-equipped to attract and accommodate high-capacity or high-profile fishing tournaments. Around the same time period, the Anderson County Parks Department was devising a Recreation Master Plan that highlighted county-owned and county-leased facilities. Coincidentally, the process arrived at the same conclusion. The Comprehensive Plan provided a snapshot of all recreation opportunities within Anderson County including City, County, State, Federal, School District, or privately owned/operated. The Plan further identified shortfalls and deficiencies in the County’s overall recreational structure, which included a significant shortage in formal parking opportunities allowing public access to the lake. Additionally, the federal government was establishing an injury settlement fund which allocated almost $12 million dollars to remedy the PCB contamination of Hartwell Lake. Of the three counties that qualified for settlement funds due to contamination (Oconee, Pickens and Anderson), Anderson County was the only government agency to investigate partnership opportunities and be proactive in potential investments. Consequently, Anderson County began an aggressive campaign to explore, validate, and develop recreation improvement projects on Hartwell Lake that encompassed ADA accessibility and universal access initiatives for the betterment of the entire Upstate. 2. What is the significance of this project to your community as a whole? How does it relate in importance to the other problems in your community? Anderson County’s local community has already experienced a significant boost from Green Pond Landing & Event Center, demonstrating in a very literal way, the idiom, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Completed in December 2014, According to Sandy Hanebrink of Touch the Future (ADA compliance contractor), “Green Pond is the only fully ADA- accessible boat ramp facility of its kind in the Southeast.” The facility features three, record breaking launch lanes that reach 30’ below full pool (the deepest on the lake) while accommodating above-average water levels (5’ above full pool). Additionally, this premier high-capacity mega-ramp boasts the longest floating courtesy ramp on the lake at 250’ as well as 200 truck/trailer parking spaces and 100 spectator parking spaces, The 45th Bassmaster Classic, Green Pond’s inaugural event, christened the facility as a world-class tournament host in February 2015. According to B.A.S.S., the Classic generated an estimated direct economic impact of $24 million in the Upstate. Since the Classic, the facility has attracted local, regional and national tournaments from all tiers of 1 | P a g e SCAC J. Mitchell Graham Award Green Pond Landing & Event Center angling organizations including B.A.S.S., the American Bass Association (ABA), Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), Fishers of Men, and local tournament leagues. Based on numbers from the 2015 Bassmaster Classic, VisitAnderson and other South Carolina tourism agencies anticipate a minimum of $40 million dollars of economic impact from Green Pond Landing & Event Center during its first year. Green Pond Landing & Event Center, which embodies one of the core missions of Anderson County and the Parks Department by exceeding ADA regulations, is a no-fee facility and is open to the public for passive, leisure, or competitive water-based recreation and as a value-added, also provides the single greatest view of the lake especially at sunset. Green Pond has been a major priority over the past seven years and will continue to take precedence until fully complete. It is THE largest recreation project in decades in Anderson County; going from inception to Phase One completion (with a $3.1 million dollar price tag) in seven years, making it the fastest turnaround project in Anderson County history, given the factors involved and the funding. This project also clearly exemplifies the potential when multiple partners are at the table with common goals especially when funding is in place. Transitioning into ADA accessibility and compliance is a problem faced by all counties and municipalities when attempting to update public facilities. Anderson County has intentionally set a high bar for inclusive recreation and in doing so, has become a nationwide role model for ADA compliance in recreation. The recent ADA Legacy Tour across the United States marked the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Anderson County was honored as one of the stops due to the County’s demonstrated leadership and extraordinary efforts toward recreation equity with successful projects such as the Green Pond Landing & Event Center, recently completed Brown Road Accessible Fishing Pier, and the Dolly Cooper Park ADA-compliant floating Kayak Launch. These projects represent the county’s commitment to attaining total ADA-compliance in accommodations for pier fishing, boating, kayaking and other watersports, regardless of capabilities or disabilities, while inviting anyone and everyone to venture outside. Anderson County has not yet realized the full economic potential of Green Pond, however, county officials are certain the facility will have a consistent and perpetually positive impact on the Upstate Region. 3. How much of the county’s population is benefited by the project? In what specific ways are different groups of citizens within the county better off than before? Since its inception, Green Pond Landing & Event Center has retained overwhelming support from the community, governmental agencies such as SC Department of Natural Resources, US Army Corp. of Engineers, and Angler Associations (B.A.S.S., FLW, and ABA) as well as countless other organizations, local businesses and individuals. County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn urged the council to invest in Hartwell Lake by constructing the mega-ramp and event facility to further develop tourism in Anderson County and to create jobs. His dream became reality when B.A.S.S. officials took notice of Green Pond and chose Hartwell as the host lake for the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing”, the Bassmaster Classic. Most every segment of the County’s population is reaping the benefits from Green Pond. During the Classic as well as other tournaments hosted at the facility, local businesses (restaurants, hotels, service stations and shops) have exceeded previous year’s revenues. The facility, which is also a County Park, affords diverse opportunities for water sports, competitive tournaments and outdoor recreation such as kayaking, boating fishing, and hiking as well as Paralympic sports competition and training. Earlier in 2015, Anderson County’s Special Olympics Area 14 used the pier and three-lane boat ramp for a fundraiser, the first-ever Anderson