FAIR PLAY — If plans still are in the works to find private investors willing to develop a 325-acre peninsula on Lake Hartwell near the Interstate 85 Welcome Center in Oconee County, state officials don’t appear inclined to talk about it.

The pristine and virtually undisturbed habitat is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which leases the property to South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. State procurement officials put out a request for proposal (RFP) early this year seeking a private developer for the tract in the eastern part of Lake Hartwell near the Georgia border.

The 40-page RFP called for “a comprehensive public resort development” that could include a golf course, lodge, restaurant, cabins and a conference center. Such a development would be a shot in the arm to Oconee County’s fledgling tourism industry. An attraction near the I-85 Welcome Center could become a hub that would attract nearby and out-of-state visitors. It could be the catalyst the county needs to attract hotels and more business to the area.

State officials declined to say how many proposals were submitted by the June 25 deadline. The state procurement office was scheduled to have posted an award to the winning bid last week. Chris J. Manos, procurement manager at the Materials Management Office who was overseeing the bidding process for the project, did not respond to numerous requests to comment on its status.

State Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla, said in a recent interview that he too had not heard anything new about the proposal. Alexander said he did not think that state budget cuts, which shaved about $3 million from the state PRT’s budget, would play a role in derailing the plans.

“It’s my understanding that it would be private funding doing this ,” Alexander said.

Bob Winchester, director of the Oconee County Sewer Commission/Joint Regional Sewer Authority, said Monday that his organization would be interested in what becomes of such a project. Although the state Department of Transportation has a small wastewater treatment plant at the I-85 Welcome Center, it would be insufficient to handle the needs of the type of development envisioned for the Lake Hartwell property.

However, in a struggling economy that could get worse before it gets better, Winchester thinks that finding an investor now will be a tall order.

“If you build something like that and you don’t get people in, you won’t make a profit,” Winchester said. “My guess is that all bets are off.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that agency also has not been informed of any selection to develop the 325 acres. Any proposal to develop the land must be submitted to the Corps for its consideration.