Berry still looking at hotel project

♦ The Floyd County Commission rejects TAD financing in a split vote.

Despite the county’s reluctance to support the TAD, Berry College is still considering building a Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel on the Armuchee Connector.

“We are in additional conversations with the city about how to move the project forward,”

Director of Public Relations

Chris Kozelle said Wednesday.

The Rome City Commission approved Tax Allocation District financing for the hotel last week.

But at the Floyd County Commission meeting Tuesday night, commissioners voted 3-2 to not throw its tax revenues in the pot for the proposed Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel. The school is proposing to build the hotel next to the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College on the Armuchee Connector.

Commissioners Rhonda Wallace and Wright Bagby Jr. supported Berry’s proposal. Commissioners Scotty Hancock, Larry Maxey and Allison Watters were opposed.

During a lengthy caucus discussion, all of the commissioners voiced their hesitance to approve the TAD after they had raised the county millage rate a month earlier. Later in the official meeting, each commissioner voiced their thoughts and concerns on the project.

“We all agree that Berry College is a huge asset to our community and we all agree that there are times in our community that we don’t have enough hotel rooms for visitors,” Watters said during the meeting. “But on the flip side, we’re in the middle of a pandemic and now our room usage is about 30% in our community and we don’t know when that’s going to change ... I’m not convinced that (the project) won’t go forward without the TAD.”