Commissioners hear concerns about TWRA trail pass rates

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- County Commissioners heard from several concerned Campbell County business owners and managers regarding TWRA trail pass rates.

Scott Damico addressed commissioners briefly on Monday during the public input portion of the workshop. He and his wife own DTF Power Sports and DTF Diner on Stinking Creek Road at Pioneer.

“We have been fighting with TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency) over the trail passes and raising rates,” Damico said. He also told commissioners that at the last TWRA meeting he and his wife attended “down in Chattanooga”, TWRA commission members said they wanted to see Campbell County Commissioners at meetings to represent the county.

Damico said he and other business owners that would be impacted by TWRA trail rate increases had attended the last TWRA meeting. He told commissioners that it was his understanding that the TWRA did not want to do the “dedicated trail passes.”

“We made some good points, and they postponed the vote till March, but If they raise those rates to $300 and then $400 and $500, it’s going to hurt businesses,” Damico said, adding that this would also affect the hotel/motel tax that the county gets from the side-by-side tourism industry.

County Chairman Johnny Bruce told Damico that the commission was behind him and businesses 100 percent.

“We went to Memphis, we don’t have any problem with us going to a meeting,” Bruce said.”

“We are going to go visit the Scott County commission and ask for their support too since this affects them as well,” Damico said.

Commissioner Rusty Orick spoke about the locals being affected by rate increases as well.

“We have actually been lobbying with them (TWRA), and we are going to continue to, not just for the riding businesses, but for the locals, when that fee is raised, what is it going to do to the locals who have lived here for years and years…We presented about different issues about finding funding at the Memphis meeting, we haven’t forgotten about you all,” Orick said.

Orick also said that when he and other commissioners go down in February to Nashville, that they will let the commission association know and the state representatives know about the issue.

“We could use all the help and support we can get, we have invested a lot of time and money on little Stinking Creek down there,” Damico said

Nikki Plunkett manager of Eagle Rock Campground and Resort, on Luther Seiber Blvd at Pioneer, also addressed the commission and brought a tourism impact sheet to commissioners.

She told commissioners she knew the decision was not made at the county level, but that the “impact is local” and that the group was “respectfully asking for the commissioner’s support.”

“They made it clear, they want someone from the county there speaking on the county’s behalf,” Plunkett said.

Plunkett said if these rates were raised, it would hurt businesses, and that just the information about rates being raised last year had already affected business negatively, which showed in the number of tourists this past July 4^th holiday. She also echoed Damico’s statement that the “TWAR commissioners want someone from the county to attend the meetings speaking on the county’s behalf.”

“They want money to put gravel down on 300 miles of trails, we don’t want that, the riding community doesn’t want that. They can cut costs on what they are seeking and come up with a better plan. People don’t want to ride on gravel; they want mud and dirt.” Plunkett said. She told commissioners she and other businesses need local support, and any guidance commissioners can offer.

Commissioner Zach Marlow said that because the General Assembly did not approve the rate increase package proposed by TWRA last year, “that the agency was facing a $35 million dollar deficit.”

“I think every commissioner sitting here supports your efforts,” Bruce said, asking how many Commissioners would be interested in going.  All raised their hands.

“We are ready to support you,” Bruce said.

The next TWRA meeting is in March. However, the location of the meeting has not been posted yet. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-01/13/2026-6AM)