Hartwell CC Approves Hart State Park Campground Lease Agreement

The Hartwell City Council has agreed to a lease agreement for the campground portion of the proposed Hartwell Lakeside project at Hart State Park.

Last week, Hartwell City Councilmen voted 4 to 3 with Mayor Brandon Johnson casting the deciding vote to lease the campground site to RV park developer Barry Stern of Lake Hartwell Campground LLC.

Development of the campground is the first phase of a multi-phase plan for the park, which is being leased by the City of Hartwell from the Hart County Department of Recreation who is leasing it from Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR, in turn, is leasing the park from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who announced ten years ago, they would no longer operate the park due to budget constraints.

On Monday, Hartwell City Manager Jon Herschell said under the agreement with the City, Stern will lease the campground section from the City for just over $4,300 a month.

Herschell said under the 50-year agreement Stern will develop the campground portion to include space for RV campers, cabins, and yerts.

However, before Stern can begin development, the State Property Board also has to approve the lease agreement.

“The City Council voted to approve the lease with Mr. Stern. However, the State Property Board has to sign off on this. We’re trying to get on the December agenda for them to approve this. On Friday, we sent a letter to them to get on the agenda next month,” he said. “So, they have to sign off on it first, and then the DNR has to sign off on it.”

Herschell said however, the City is confident their decision to approve the campground lease to Stern’s company will send the right signal to the State they are ready to begin development of the park.

Three more phases are planned for Hart State Park to turn it into a multi-venue, family oriented vacation resort.

“There are three other portions of the park that can be leased by private individuals and it’s all a part of the approved the Corps-approved master plan,” Herschell explained. “One is an event center that can be leased for parties and weddings and that sort of thing. And lastly, is either a lodge or boutique hotel.”

Not all City Councilmen were in agreement regarding the development of Hart State Park.

At the meeting, Councilmen Tray Hicks, Arthur Craft and Bill Griggs voted in favor of the lease agreement, while Mike McNabb, Tony Haynie and Patrick Guarnella voted against.

Those opposed said they believe the City should be focusing on other projects and should not be in the business of running a park.

Those in favor, noted the tremendous revenue the proposed park would generate for the City of Hartwell and the County in the future.