Honey Creek Filled with Red Ink

Stop the presses, but a state-owned luxury resort opened as a recession hit and before many of its amenities were completed lost a bunch of money, according to a state audit.

Lawmakers are crying mismanagement, and I can't blame them. A nearly $900,000 loss is eye-popping.

But it's really not all that surprising.

When my family stayed for a couple of days at Honey Creek Resort last summer, the bike trail was not completed, playground equipment was still in boxes, construction of a beach and boat ramp had been delayed due to high water and the grounds in general still had a construction site feel.We had to drive halfway around Rathbun Lake to get wet at a beach run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Couple that with the fact that "luxury" wasn't a word describing most people's vacation plans last year, and you've got problems for a new resort. We could only afford to stay two nights, for example. Still, we enjoyed our trip and plan to go back.

Clearly, there are red flags in the audit report. The restaurant and golf course ran a combined deficit over $200,000. Even the gift shop operated at a small loss, which doesn't surprise me considering that it's essentially a closet with very little in the way of necessities for the absent-minded or thirsty traveler. We made three runs to a convenience store a couple miles away, and I'm sure we weren't alone.

If the state's going to own a resort, it needs to think more like a crafty entrepreneur than a drowsy bureaucrat.

Although some lawmakers are talking about pulling the plug on state ownership, I'm withholding judgment until I see how a fully completed resort does this year in a slightly more stable economy.

If it spins into another fiscal pratfall, plan B might be in order.

I'm one taxpayer who hopes Honey Creek makes it. If you take a drive around the surrounding area and through nearby towns, you'll see a region that really needs an economic development shot in the arm. Honey Creek still has the potential to be a catalyst. We should watch its finances closely, but it's too soon to cut bait.