“So, what is the next step?” Addie Pearl asked.
“Finding an alternate solution,” Wyatt replied. “None of this works without that.” Wyatt looked at Vivi, who had taken a seat again, to see if she wanted to pick up the ball, but she waved for him to continue. “So, I do have an idea,” he told the room, and there was immediate excitement. He held up his hands. “Hear me out on this, okay? The thing is, the resort really does solve the immediate town problems in the most direct way possible, both the lake property not being utilized and the reduced tourist stream into the town itself. Just not in the way you want.” He lifted a hand when the grumbling started. “Not with this particular developer.” He glanced down at Chey, who gave him a supportive smile. He’d told her what he was going to propose, and he had her support. He just wasn’t sure if anyone else would join her when they heard his idea. “But there are other developers out there.”
That definitely stirred people up, and not entirely in a good way.
He raised his hands again. “Let me explain. There are developers now who have started to realize that coming in, razing everything to the ground, and paving things over is a shortsighted plan. More and more, planners are working to preserve the environment they come into, work with the natural aesthetic of a place instead of replacing it with something prefabricated and nonindigenous. They work with the local resources instead of squandering them.”
“So, you’re saying a resort of some kind is going to happen no matter what?” Mabry asked.
“I’m saying a resort is on the table right now and it does tick off the boxes. Maybe there is some other way to revitalize the town, draw tourist traffic to the town center, and separately, some other way to save the lake and public grounds around it.” He motioned to Seth. “I know you built your music center, your amphitheater, from the proceeds of an album your wife recorded here. There are many ways to achieve things, but, in this case, not in the time needed to keep the council from saying yes to the solution that is already right in front of them. If they are thinking ‘resort,’ then give them one, just one that works with the area, and preserves what is special about it.”
“Why pick an eco-resort we propose if the other will offer them backdoor deals, or whatever you called it.” This from Jake.
One thing Wyatt was coming to love about this town was that everyone got involved, everyone cared, young and old. They turned to Addie, their version of a tribal elder, for guidance, but at the same time, no one told Bailey or Jake to sit down and let the adults handle things. Everyone worked together here, and that gave him hope that if any town could do this in the short time left to them, it would be Blue Hollow Falls.
“It’s a combination effort,” Wyatt said. “You come in with a solid alternative plan that will do the best for the most. If that and your clearly voiced opposition to their planned solution doesn’t turn the tide, then you go wide, and bring in the outside world, shine a brighter light. Expose the truth.”
“Does it always work?” This from Addie Pearl.
Wyatt turned. “No,” he told her with plain honesty. “Sometimes greed wins, or corruption wins.” He looked back to the room, saw slumped shoulders. “But more often the outcome has been positive. That’s why I’m able to keep doing what I do, helping where I can. Maybe there is a better way. I’m just offering this way, because it’s the way I know. I am sure that you can’t win if you don’t play. And I think you all want to win.”
“How much time do we have?” This came from Jake’s father. He looked at Wyatt. “Will McCall,” he said by way of introduction. “When are they planning to sign this deal? How fast do we need to cement this backup plan?”
Addie Pearl stood. “We can call the town meeting, but as Mr. Reed has said, that’s better done when we have the backup plan in place, not before.” She looked at Vivi. “Vivi has fought the good fight in the meeting where this project was announced, but her concerns fell on deaf ears. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to support her, but I’m not surprised at this result. This situation with our town council, and with Mr. Hammond, is not new. That’s why I’ve shifted my energies to improving this town from the outside. But Wyatt here makes a good point. You keep letting corruption go unchecked, and it just grows. We have to draw the line at a project like the one Hammond is backing this time, one that will fundamentally change the Falls forever.”
Vivi stood as Addie Pearl sat down. “The council has a meeting scheduled with representatives from Pantheon in six weeks. Even if we are vocal in our disapproval, I think the majority of the council, and the mayor, will vote yes. Unless there is another option.”
The spike of tension in the room was palpable.
Chey squeezed Wyatt’s hand before he stood again as Vivi sat. He gave her a quick smile. He knew the people in front of him had a lot riding on this, and he hoped he was steering them in the right direction. “Now that you know the stakes, and the time frame, let’s focus on that solution.” He smiled, knowing the key was to keep everyone moving forward. Hand-wringing was a natural reaction, but counterproductive when the clock was ticking. “First and foremost is to find a developer who wants to enhance what Firefly Lake already has to offer. Not all resorts come with high-rise hotels, sandy beaches, and golf courses. Think more along the lines of a smaller number of rustic lodges, done as part of the natural landscape.”
There were nods of approval, but some still had their arms folded, waiting to hear more.
“This area is made for outdoor sports like boating and fishing, hiking and climbing. From what I’ve seen,” Wyatt continued, “that is a vastly underdeveloped resource. One way to get a developer interested is to dangle that carrot. The right developer could come in and grow that market. That plan encourages maintaining the lake, land, and trails as they are. Upgrading the nature center, the docks, and maybe adding in a small campground and another, smaller amphitheater, but for nature-oriented talks and whatnot, so it complements your music venue, rather than directly competing with it. If you can find someone with the right attitude and eye, this could work as wonderfully for you as your mill renovation did. And you have the mill and music center as an example of the kind of thing you’re looking for.”
The mood in the room shifted more fully then, with people murmuring and a hum of excitement building. Wyatt reached down for Chey’s hand and held on to it as he continued. She nodded encouragement, her expression one of optimism and hope. He looked back to the room, feeling a renewed energy himself.
Addie Pearl stood and brought the room back to rights with a simple question. “Where do we find such a paragon of a developer?”
“I might know someone,” Vivi said, just loudly enough that the room hushed. “Let me . . . think on it.”
Wyatt turned to Vivi, who remained seated. He hadn’t missed her diffidence regarding contacting whoever this person was. “I have good researchers,” he said, so the room could hear. “I’ve already got them looking. I put them on it this morning.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Vivi said, and he noticed she was tucking her cell phone back into her pocket. She stood once more and addressed the room. “I’ve set up a meeting with an old friend for tomorrow morning.” She was smiling, but there was strain around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Wyatt didn’t know her all that well, yet he was pretty sure the meeting she’d just set up had cost her in some way.