The Clarksville Skylift could be carrying people to the top of the highest peak on the Mississippi River by mid-summer.
Aldermen have approved a land swap to eliminate one of the last hurdles that has held up the project for four years.
Skylift developer Bill McMurtry is getting five acres of unused wooded land along the bluff where the tourist attraction sits. In exchange, he’s giving the city three lots adjacent to the visitors’ center on Highway 79 across from the skylift.
The city will still own land that features a communications tower and a reservoir, and will have access and utility easements.
The deal removes a barrier McMurtry ran into when trying to get financing because he didn’t own a route for emergency access to the top of the bluff, where part of the skylift’s operating equipment is housed.
“There have been so many roadblocks along the way,” said Clarksville Mayor Jo Anne Smiley. “Now, we’re at a point where I think (the re-opening) can be accomplished.”
“We’re excited,” McMurtry said. “It’s really going to help the area.”
The project hinges on securing additional financing. The estimated investment is more than $2.5 million.
Michael Bailey, a consultant on the project with McMurtry, said a construction analysis is being completed. The skylift is operational, but other work still must be done.
Plans call for a 12,000-square-foot building at the top with an outlook platform along with several family-oriented features such as a “Mystery House” and a log cabin. The attractions, including a food stand, would be added in increments.
The skylift opened in the early 1960s and operated for all but about three years until the early 1990s.
“It was a big attraction to a lot of people and we want to continue that,” Bailey said. “It’s our intention to bring something new to it each year.”
“It’s going to be a completely modernized operation,” McMurtry added. “It’s going to be a class act.”
McMurtry’s plan drew ire from the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma in 2005. The Native Americans objected to the proposed development, saying the bluff was considered sacred because it had been a burial ground.
A state charge against McMurtry of knowingly damaging or disturbing an unmarked grave was dismissed, and a settlement was reached. McMurtry has pledged to pay tribute to the region’s history, including its Indian heritage.
A 2006 fire on the bluff platform and the 2007 economic downturn also put a damper on the project.
“We’ve made our minds up that, even if we have to open for two or three months, we’re going to open it this year,” McMurtry said. “It’s my vision, and I want to get it completed.”
Meanwhile, the city has plans of its own.
Officials in the past have looked at improving the visitors’ center, the outside of which features a steamboat motif. No specifics are in place, but Smiley said the land swap will “open up opportunities.”
“We believe we can expand the building part toward the river and use one of the three lots for parking,” she said. “One of the lots we can build on eventually.”
