Chambana Sun

When the Eagle Creek Resort reopens, David Cruitt hopes it will be a modern facility run by an established national brand, he said recently.

Cruitt, chairman of the Shelby County Board, joined Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) and Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) at an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) meeting on the reopening of the resort on Lake Shelbyville, which is slowly moving forward.

The property, which the IDNR leases from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, shut down in 2009. According to a report by the Shelbyville Daily Union, a recent assessment survey resulted in the recommendation that the current building be demolished based on its age, mold and being too large to support the resort’s demand.

Cruitt told the Daily Union that the resort rarely exceeded 50 percent occupancy when it was open.

The Daily Union reported that IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal said a request for proposal (RFP), which will allow developers to bid on the project, could be ready by September 1.

Fifteen developers bid on a similar project to reopen Rend Lake Resort. While the state budget stalemate has seen some progress toward reopening Eagle Creek, it appears that private sector support, as well as that of lawmakers like Rose and Halbrook, is behind the project.