The owners of the 80-room Savannah Lakes Resort at Thurmond Lake abruptly closed the facility this week.
“Based on the current business climate, it is with great disappointment and careful consideration that we have decided to temporarily shut down operations at the resort, effective today,” said an email, dated Tuesday and sent by resort manager Austin T. Trupp to residents of nearby Savannah Lakes Village.
The resort and lodge is a separate entity from the nearby Savannah Lakes Village, which has two 36-hole golf courses and a vast residential community, said Tom Krueger, the president of the Savannah Lakes Propertyowners Association board.
Those adjoining facilities are in sound financial condition and are not shutting down, he said. “Our amenities are owned by the residents and membership.”
The waterfront conference center in McCormick County was formerly part of Arkansas-based Cooper Communities—which developed Savannah Lakes Village beginning in 1989. It was later pieced out and sold and is currently operated by Trupp Real Estate Group.
Trupp’s email cited economic conditions as the reason for shuttering the lodge, which is used for weddings, corporate retreats and other outings and events.
“As you have been well aware, the current real estate market turmoil and continuing credit crisis has kept us all in a very difficult cash flow position for some time,” he wrote. “Under great stress, Savannah Lakes Resort has been able to maintain operations and Trupp Real Estate Group has been able to hold this ship together for the past couple of years.”
Trupp wrote that he hopes to reopen the resort later this year, but did not give a date.
Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com
Wasn't Trupp really pushing lot sales recently? Wonder if they were aware of the pending closure during the sales push.
The location of this resort is what really hurts it. It is just across the Ga/SC line at Lincoln County and there is not much else there. So if you go there, you have to really want to get away from society. Although I will say that it is a nice facility and if that area ever materialized into a true resort area, it would do well. Good Luck in the future!
I used to own a lot there. I gladly gave it up in the divorce. He wanted it, he got it, along with the monthly dues.
PS MITM, it's in McCormick SC. SLV now runs the county- they have all the wealth and all the voting power. If SLV doesn't want something, it's not going to happen. McCormick Cty didn't envision that happening. And because it's almost all retirees, they ain't too keen about school taxes.
SLV sounds like our very own "stakeholders". Same power same small group structure and both are beloved by the populace.
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