Land Transfers From Arch Energy to Toney Watkins Would Signal New Progress
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ The Du Quoin Evening Call is watching closely for land transfers of several thousand acres of the old Consol No. 4 mining property from Consol Energy Corp. to the Toney Watkins Group that would signal new life for the on-again, off-again mega development on the county's west side.
County board members and office holders say there is enough trafficking of information to believe the resort and recreation project--involving between 5,000 and 9,000 acres, all told--is still viable.
Another indicator is today's county board meeting where discussions will continue about the establishment of a Perry County economic development office specific to this and other development projects.
The county is now on sound fiscal footing and county officials tell the newspaper privately that while the county is a willing partner, it is not an economic partner at this writing.
The newspaper also understands the Illinois Department of Transportation is thinking conceptually about the responsibilities it would have with respect to a west bypass around Pinckneyville and highway access construction to the site.
Earlier this year, the Toney Watkins Co. said land negotiations with Consol Energy, Inc., are still moving slowly. Yet, there is information that at least some of the Consol properties may be locked in.
Jacquie Vick, vice president of communications for the Glen Carbon-based development group had not returned a call to the newspaper inquiring about new developments at press time.
The corporation's proposed development west of Pinckneyville and north of Cutler drew plenty of attention on both local and state levels in June 2007 when Toney Watkins asked the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to consider a land swap involving acreage at Pyramid State Park.
Watkins' company has been in on-again, off-again talks with Consol Energy for former mine land in western Perry County since late in 2006. However the developer told Southern Illinois legislators--including state Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville, and state Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville--that the convention site needed more land.
Legislators in Springfield considered granting authority to IDNR to exchange around 2,000 acres from Illinois' largest state park with the Toney Watkins Co., but objections from environmentalists and concerns that the move would cut Pyramid into unattached parcels put those plans on hold.
Since then, Vick said the company has pursued negotiations with Consol. The corporation was also talking with private land owners in the area targeted by the development, but Vick gave no indication this week on how talks with private land owners were going.