At the Aug. 24 meeting of the Cherokee County Commission, Gary Banister of the Parks and Recreation board dramatically presented his case for an annual allotment of at least $75,000 to develop Cherokee Rock Village and other parks in the county.

Banister's flare for the theatrical – which included props and biblical references – left some wondering if he had alienated the commissioners he was trying to petition for funding.

However, Banister interspersed his oral fireworks with solid arguments about the tourism potential of Cherokee County, including the fact that at least one national rock climbing guidebook lists Cherokee Rock Village among its top ten destinations.

“We're competing with the Rocky Mountains, folks, and we're not doing anything about it,” Banister said during a 10-minute speech that Commissioner Wade Sprouse later called “impressive”.

Probate Judge and County Commission Chairman Melvyn Salter said he understands where Banister was coming from, and he thinks the commissioners do, too.

“I feel like Mr. Banister was trying to make a point and it was not, I don't think, an attempt to deride anybody,” Salter said. “His point was that the Parks and Recreation board has a passion for developing Cherokee Rock Village and the other parks in the county.”

Salter said Banister and the other board members are volunteers who spend many hours on the job every month, in part to try and develop a long-term park improvement plan that will benefit the county and everyone in it.

“They are very passionate about what they have set out to do,” Salter said. “I think the intent [of the presentation]… was to bring it to the attention of the Commission and the public that they really want to get something done with the parks.”

Salter admitted he does not yet know how much of the requested money the county will be able to supply.

“At this point in time, it's questionable,” he said. “We'll take their request, along with all the other budget requests, and see how we can make the puzzle fit together.”

Salter said some of the hellfire and brimstone from Banister likely came from the fact that, since it was created in 1985, Parks & Recreation has never been adequately funded.

“Reading over the minutes of the County Commission meetings from that period of time up until now, the funding that was there was sufficient only to take care of maintenance and basic upkeep,” Salter said. “In terms of having a bigger picture of what could have been and should have been done with the parks, especially Cherokee Rock Village, the money was not there and the vision was not there.”

Salter said he has spent enough time at Cherokee Rock Village over the years to realize the popular tourist attraction can become a huge revenue generator for the county.

“Six weeks ago I went up there, and there were groups of rock climbers from the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina, Georgia Tech and the Naval Research Center out of Panama City,” he said. “Go to Google or YouTube and search for 'Cherokee Rock Village'. You'll be surprised.”

Salter said regardless of what the county does from a monetary standpoint when the new budget year begins Oct. 1, he thinks the commissioners will make it clear that they all favor the creation of a long-term plan for the parks.

“I don't necessarily think their support will be reflected by an allotment of $75,000, but I think the County Commission we have now has a broad picture of what can be accomplished,” Salter said. “I definitely feel like the support is going to be there.”