“Its about the visitors, its about the staff and employees who are now having to move off the mountain, - they live here,- with No notice. They [now, due to Obamas unnecessary orders,] have No Jobs. That’s the concern.” Parkway Chief Ranger Steve Stinnett said Park Service managers in Washington directed him to block access to the inn and ensure “people don’t utilize a business that, -- according to the federal government, -- is Closed ! He said Park Rangers would stay in place as long they are needed.” Park Police blocked the entrances to the privately run Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Friday to end a showdown over the federal shutdown that started when the business opened for lunch against government orders. Inn managers had decided to close after initially saying the business would defy the Thursday deadline to shut down. Business owner Bruce O’Connell said he thought about it overnight and decided to make a stand, after all, on Friday. He leases the building from the National Park Service, a business he has had for 35 years. “Conscience, conviction. That’s about it,” he said of the decision to open at noon. A handful of guests had lunch before Park Service police blocked the driveways to the inn with patrol cars and orange flashing lights. They turned customers away, saying the government was closed. The 51-room inn was booked solid for October. O’Connell said he plans to refund his customers though many planned vacations to see the fall colors months in advance. His 100 employees, 35 of which live on the property, are now idled. Lunch diners on Friday didn’t agree with government’s move to block access to the inn. The parkway road is still open. “If they were government employees they’d get back pay when government refunded,” said Baird Lefter, of nearby Waynesville, who was dining with his wife and a friend. “They are just being shut out of work. And if they haven’t closed to the parkway why should they close the concessions?” Parkway Chief Ranger Steve Stinnett said park service managers in Washington directed him to block access to the inn and ensure “people don’t utilize a business that, according to the federal government, is closed.” He said rangers would stay in place as long they are needed. Most of the guests at the inn had left by mid afternoon. O’Connell said he got a letter from National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis ordering him to shut down. The park service also told him he was violating his contract. He said he could not get around police blocking the entrances to his business but left the door open for future defiance. “Right now it appears we have reached a point where WE HAVE TO Acquiesce but it doesn’t mean tomorrow something might change.” .... the restaurant would serve about 20,000 tourists during a typical October, O’Connell said. But he said his defiance was not about the lost revenue. “Its about the visitors, its about the staff and employees who are now having to move off the mountain, they live here, with no notice. They [now, due to Obamas unnecessaryorders,] have no jobs. That’s the concern.”
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 09:06:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015