Tazewell Board of Supervisors decide against buying Falls Mills Lake
Feb. 2—FALLS MILLS, Va. — After considering the idea and seeing if there was any commercial interest, the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors has decided not to purchase Falls Mills Lake for recreation development.
In September 2022, the board of supervisors started considering whether to exercise a six-month to buy the lake, which is a popular place for fishing and other recreation near Bluefield, Va. If the county purchased the property, the goal would have been to add rustic cabins, picnic areas, paddle boats and other attractions.
Maggie Asbury, the Northern District supervisor, said Thursday that the board of supervisors had decided not to pursue the option.
"It was just an investment we did not feel we could make at this time," Asbury said. "We made the decision at the January board meeting not to purchase the lake. It was an unanimous decision."
In September 2022, a legal advertisement in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph sought proposals from private entities willing to lease the Falls Mills property and build rustic cabins there for lodging the ATV tourists using the Spearhead Trails near Boissevain, Va.
"We did put it out to bid before we made that decision to see if we could find a company or organization that would be willing to manage it for us; and we put it out in the local papers as well as Roanoke and Bristol," Asbury recalled. "We went out a little further with invitations to bid and we got no takers on it."
While some Falls Mills residents thought the county owned the property already, it is privately owned. Asbury said she did not know the owners' plans for it.
"It's taxpayers' money so we have to answer to our citizens on how we use that money," she added, saying that she told the other supervisors that there "were no hard feelings" about the decision and understood that it was a business decision. "It was a cumulation of tourism and economic development."
The county does own the Cavitt's Creek Park property in North Tazewell. Cabins were built there in 2017 along with other infrastructure improvements.
Asbury said that more improvements could be made at Cavitt's Creek.
"We have the potential for expanding some things at Cavitt's Creek, which is also in my district, but at the other end of county," she said. "We already have two cabins there, paddle boats and fishing. It's a beautiful piece of property and we're looking at expansion in that area."
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
