"I don't want to give up on it. That's just a valuable piece of property," Parkways General Manager Greg Barr said of the 87 acres next to the state arts and crafts showplace at Beckley.

Last month, Parkways sent out solicitations to 17 developers, both in-state and out-of-state, to submit proposals for constructing a 120-room hotel adjacent to the Tamarack conference center. The deadline to submit proposals was 4 p.m. last Friday.

"We didn't receive any," Barr told the authority at its meeting Thursday.

Barr said there were several factors that he believes discouraged bidding, including the current financial climate, with banks reluctant to make loans to developers for hotels or other hospitality industry projects.

He said Beckley also is still considered a third-tier market for tourism, despite the soon-to-open Bechtel Summit National Scout Reserve in nearby Fayette County, expected to draw tens of thousands of Boy Scouts and their families to the area each year.

"People are not quite getting what's going on in Beckley and what the future may hold," Barr said.

Also, several would-be developers were reluctant to deal with a government agency, over concerns that proprietary business information would end up being made public, he said.

"Some are adverse to divulging any of their information," Barr told the authority.

Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox suggested that the authority may want to work with the state Development Authority on a plan for the property. Under state law, the Development Office can provide a higher level of confidentiality with developers than Parkways or other state agencies.

Although the authority would prefer to lease the property, Barr said it would also consider selling it outright, if the ideal offer warranted.

"I'm sure any ideas would be on the table, if someone would step up to the plate, and say, 'hey, I've got a deal,'" Barr said.

While not giving up on the hotel concept, which land use consultants concluded should be the top priority for development of the Tamarack property, Barr said the authority may proceed with other development options, possibly including a recreational vehicle resort park.

Ultimately, though, Barr said he believes the Boy Scout center will warrant construction of at least one additional hotel in the area, with Tamarack being the best location available.

"At some point, I think there's going to be a hotel there," he said.

Also Thursday, authority members:

| Approved a $7.21 million contract to West Virginia Paving to mill and resurface various rough patches of pavement along the entire 88-mile length of the West Virginia Turnpike.

| Learned that toll revenues for March were up 2.4 percent over March 2011, and that revenues for the first three months of the year were up 4.7 percent over the same period last year.

"That's a good sign," Barr said. "We'd budgeted for a 3 percent decrease for the year."

Reach Phil Kabler at ph...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1220.