Park director speaks out against potential truck stop construction
UPDATE (8/9/24): Alamo Mayor John Emison shared an additional response Friday morning regarding the situation. See the full statement below:
This is a response to inaccurate speculation on social media this week. The Alamo Board of Mayor and Aldermen has taken no step and has no interest, now or in the future in exercising eminent domain to take land from Tennessee Safari Park. That allegation is entirely inaccurate.
We have had discussions with Safari Park about a utility easement that would benefit the resort hotel they have proposed and we support, and other property owners. Alamo, like most towns has thousands of feet of water and sewer lines in utility easements on privately owned property. Issues associated with them are rare.
Other accusations that have been made are so irrational and they deserve no comment.
ALAMO, Tenn. — One local attraction speaks out about an ongoing problem with the city.
The Tennessee Safari Park in Alamo has had a year long disagreement with the city in regards to a potential truck stop being built on their land.
“Well I said ‘I have a 14 million dollar luxury resort and hotel that I want to put in to supplement the safari park.’ He looked at some of our plans and said ‘Well I want yours.’ Well I said ‘You have to publicly denounce this truck stop. They can not work hand and hand,'” said Jon Conley, director of Tennessee Safari Park.
Conley says he has had this problem with the Alamo city mayor and alderman for a year now.
This previously began in 2023 when his father was asked to provide utilities to a new truck stop just across from the park.
“It’s dangerous. It’s extremely dangerous. It’s right in a very odd angle, it’s not a straight way into the highway , there’s a major intersection–Cavalier Drive. There’s gonna be wrecks left and right on this thing and that’s going to affect our tourist,” said Conley.
The location is just one of the many cons that Conley says he can find with this truck stop being so close to his park and the potential resort.
“There’s so many aspects where it’s not going to work. You’ve got 24 hours a day of in and out. You’ve got loud noises that are gonna affect our breeding situations,” said Conley.
Aside from that, he also mentions that truck stops come with pollution, and he doesn’t want his animals to potentially choke on litter from the rest area.
“From what I’ve been told, I’ve had over a 100 phone calls in the last 36 hours no one wants this. Absolutely no one,” said Conley.
Conley has one request for city leaders.
“We have no other choice but to ask for Michal Moore, Jim Knox and the mayor’s resignation. That’s the only way through this. There’s not apologies. They have no reasoning behind what they’re trying to do, this is against the law,” said Conley.
We reached out to Alamo’s mayor and he shares that:
“It hasn’t been indicated if it’s going to be built.”
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