Effingham Daily News
Published: October 31, 2005

Site for Riverboat Narrowed to Four
By KIM WIEDMAN
The location for “The President” riverboat has still not been decided, but owners David and Peggy Campbell of Effingham said they have it narrowed down to four sites in Illinois, with Effingham not making the list.
After speaking with officials from several area counties and even other states, the Campbells, who purchased the historical riverboat along with a second riverboat earlier this year, said the list of locations is now down to four — Jasper County, St. Elmo, Vandalia and Vermilion County.
“The President” — which is expected to house a hotel, restaurants and an entertainment venue — is a 300-foot-long vessel that has been an icon on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers for nearly a century and was purchased in August by the Campbells whose first thoughts were to locate the vessel in Effingham. But after what was described as “miscommunications” between the couple and Mayor Bob Utz, the Campbells began searching for other locations for the boat, which led to several offers from other cities.
According to David Campbell, he and his family narrowed down the choices for the riverboat based on location.
“Mostly we decided on those four because we do want it close to Effingham. Not only for our own reasons, but also to allow Effingham residents to be able to enjoy it,” said David Campbell.
He added another deciding factor that led to the creation of the shortened list was the treatment they received from the interested parties.
“All four have been very easy to work with,” said David Campbell. “All of them have really went out of their way as far as welcoming us. They went beyond what we ever imagined, and they really know how to treat a person who wants to bring in a new business.”
“I have been wined, dined and wooed like I haven’t been since I was dating my husband,” said Peggy Campbell. “They are showing us that they are excited about the concept of the project.
“I am not surprised by that response. Ever since David explained it to me, I knew this project was a winner,” said Peggy Campbell, who added even a group in New York City contacted the couple about having “The President” located in the harbor there.
During meetings at different cities, David Campbell said he was able to speak with city and county leaders, area businessmen and state representatives.
One county that showed interest right away, according to David Campbell, was Jasper County.
According to Jasper County Economic Development Director Ken Larimore “The President” dry-docking in the county would be a positive project for the area.
“This is a huge project for the City of Newton, Jasper County and the region as a whole,” he stated in a release. “For Newton, the unique project creates a community center and gives the community a theme.”
To go along with the boat’s historical theme, Larimore stated Newton would plan future development around the riverboat theme and the era, which could include carrying the theme to the downtown area.
“We have no limits for what ‘The President’ riverboat complex can do for Newton, Jasper County and the region,” said Larimore in the release. “It has lots of room for at least one hotel, a couple restaurants, a banquet hall and an entertainment center. The first phase could employ 200.”
With available activities on the Embarras including hiking and canoeing along with the county’s two large fishing lakes, three hunting lodges and a nature preserve, Larimore said Jasper County is a “perfect fit” for the Campbells’ project.
Larimore compared it to other regions that have had successful tourist locations.
“Branson, Missouri, and many of the other successful tourist locations started in small towns with big spirits,” he said in the release.
With four proposals to consider, the Campbells agreed they have a hard decision to make.
“It is going to be a very hard decision because of all of the interest we have had from these communities,” said David Campbell, who added he considers the project a “common folk’s” project. “Everybody wants to know how we are pulling this off as common folks. A common person can pull a project off like this if you have the will to do it. Where there is a will there is a way.”
Although the Campbells are excited about the response they have received for the riverboat, David Campbell admits he is disappointed the boat will not be located in his hometown.
“They just don’t seem interested in it,” said David Campbell, adding Effingham officials seem more geared toward industrial projects. “I am disappointed because my first choice was Effingham.”
At first, what was deemed a “miscommunication” gave Campbell the idea the city of Effingham wasn’t interested in the project. Then, he was asked to attend a recent Effingham City Council meeting, which was followed by a discussion with city officials. But Campbell said he was disappointed with the city’s response when comparing it to the other cities.
Mayor Utz said the city did contact the Campbells following the council meeting, but one element the city requested from Campbell was a business plan for the project and it did not receive that.
Without the business plan, Utz said the city could not move forward on offering an incentive package.
“We have had correspondence with them, but what we really needed from them was some sort of a business plan,” said the mayor, adding the city needed to have more information about employment numbers and potential tax revenue. “We frankly never got that. We never got a business plan.
“The fact that they want the riverboat in Effingham isn’t enough for us. We need some kind of statistical information to show us that it would be a value for the city,” said Utz. He added the Campbells estimated the project to cost $10 million, and it was never clear what kind of financial assistance they were asking the city for.
David Campbell agreed with the mayor that a business plan was not submitted to the city, but he said he did not submit a plan because it would be tailored to the city it is going to be located in.
“Whatever city we chose will have a unique business plan for that city,” said David Campbell, adding the Campbells’ want to work with officials to create a business plan aimed at the community’s needs.
“Out of all of the city’s we talked to, Effingham is the only one that has asked for a business plan,” said David Campbell. “And, if we sat down and tried to complete a business plan for every city, that is all we would be doing.
“All of the other city’s have offered to help us develop that business plan so it can be tailor to that city. It is not just going to be us making the plan,” he added.
Another factor, according to Utz, was the city was not certain of the location the Campbells were proposing. Utz said the property originally proposed for the boat was outside city limits, and other locations proposed by the city did not seem to interest the Campbells.
“We talked to him about other locations, but he frankly didn’t seem too interested in it,” said Utz.
According to Economic Development Director Todd Hull, other options included sites along Outer Belt West, but the Campbells didn’t show much interest to suggested sites, so officials did not move forward on site locations.
Campbell said the city did not present other possible locations to him, and city officials only mentioned that they were going to look into other sites.
The Campbells are expected to make a decision as to where to locate the riverboat as early as this week.
The President is currently docked in Tennessee, and because the boat is so large and weighs 1,000 tons, it will have to be broken down into 100 pieces and then transported by semitrailer to the selected site, where it will then be welded back together. The process is expected to take more than a year.