OPEA

What was originally scheduled to be a $24 million resort at Lake Murray has now turned into a $40 million development, according to authorities with the Ardmore Tourism Authority.

Citing a recent market study that showed a higher demand for a resort than originally estimated, the group plans to build a 150 room hotel and resort while also renovating the existing lodge and cabins.

Earlier this year, the Oklahoma Public Employees Association raised strong objections to the privatization. Through the association’s efforts, the Tourism department decided to keep the park and lodge at Murray open during all renovations.

“We let the Oklahoma Tourism Commission know in no uncertain terms that we were not going to stand by and see our members lose their jobs while waiting on a resort that may or may not happen,” said OPEA executive director Sterling Zearley, himself a 23 year Tourism employee. “We don’t want another situation like what occurred at Lake Texoma.”

Zearley said there is no better argument against privatization than what continues to happen at Lake Texoma, a resort that was closed to make way for a new facility that appears to be stalled over property issues.

“This summer, there was no Lake Texoma lodge, which was originally built as a source of recreation for visitors and for economic development within the area,” he said. “Now we are without this facility and some fine state workers are out of a job and a new resort seems years and years away.”

According to reports, plans call for the first stage of the development at Lake Murray to be the new hotel, which should be finished in spring of 2009. Once that is completed, the lodge and cabins are scheduled to be closed until their reopening, under private ownership, in either late 2010 or early 2011.

“We are monitoring this situation closely,” said Zearley.