The Newport Plain Talk

NEWPORT-Much to the surprise of local officials, dry weather and a dry economy have only had a minimal impact so far on Cocke County's rafting and hotel industries this year.

According to Cocke County Clerk Janice Butler, the number of rafters visiting the county through August was 92,130, down 3,681 or about 4 percent from the previous year.

"It's not as bad as I though it would be," said Butler. "Through July, we've gotten $184,260 in rafting fees. That's only down about $7,360 from last year."

John Felderman, owner of Big Creek Expeditions and president of the Pigeon River Rafting Association, said the continuation of the drought has hurt the rafting industry more than the economy.

"We only have 52 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day," he said. "We lost 13 of those days completely and four partially.

"My business is fine...in fact my numbers are up this year. I have tried to steadily grow my business. But, others are hurting because of the drought."

Felderman praised Progress Energy for its management of water during the dry conditions.

"They really helped us out and have been very good stewards of the water," he said.

Felderman said some rafting companies will continue to operate through October and into November.

"If we get some rain from tropical storms, it could help," he said.

Concerning the county's hotel/motel tax, Butler said those numbers, too, are down but not as bad as expected.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, Cocke County received $188,952.12 in hotel/motel tax revenues, down 8 percent from the 2006-07 fiscal year when the tax generated $204,485.96.

"I hated to see the numbers drop," said Butler. "But with the economy the way it is and gas prices so high, people aren't traveling as much. Actually, I'm thrilled the numbers didn't drop more."