Shortly after Valentine's Day, Salamander Development's Prem Devadas requested a meeting with Middleburg Mayor Betsy Davis to discuss plans to reschedule the grand opening of the Salamander Inn and Spa to the spring of 2011. Salamander's decision, according to Devadas, was driven by the precipitous drop in travel, which industry experts now predict will last throughout 2010.

According to the Mayor, she, Devadas, Town Attorney Liz Whiting, Town Administrator Jerry Schiro, and legal counsel for Salamander met privately during the week of February 16, at which time, "... we were informed of their plans to delay the opening of the Resort until March 2011."

After the meeting with Davis, Whiting and Schiro, Devadas then contacted each member of the Town Council directly, "to relay the same information."

At press time, Devadas is scheduled to make a formal presentation and answer questions from the full Council at 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 26, at one of the Council's regularly scheduled work sessions. The work session is open to the public, but, under normal rules of procedure, would allow questions to be addressed to Salamander only by Town Council members and staff.

Roots of the Decision

According to Devadas, Salamander decided to postpone it's opening rather than risk a less-than-successful, five-star-caliber, first year. The postponement, he told the Eccentric, is just that and no more. . . a fact-based, well-analyzed, short-term postponement.

Nationally and internationally, corporate and personal resort bookings have declined precipitously, Devadas noted. Opening the new inn and spa under such conditions would risk both financial loss and worse, a possible revenue-driven reduction in service. Anything less than a sparkling five-star first year, he noted, would hurt both the Inn and the town.

Council Concerns

Key issues to be addressed on the 26th include the effect of the postponement on both tax revenue and plans for expansion and improvement of the town's infrastructure.

Of special concern to most members of Council was the fate of the new, Salamander-financed, state-of-the-art town waste water treatment facility. Prior to his formal presentation Devadas assured the Town that Salamander "... fully intends to honor all its obligations to Middleburg with regard to the waste water treatment facility."

Council Member Bundles Murdock, a consistent opponent of construction of the Inn, told the Eccentric that she understood Salamander's decision. "If the resort is to be part of Middleburg, we all want it to be successful," she said. In practical terms, she also noted that lengthening construction time might allow Salamander to schedule later starts to the building day, and the noise associated with construction.