State outlines reopening plan for Honey Creek Resort after months of uncertainty

MORAVIA, Iowa (KCRG) - Honey Creek Resort is set to reopen soon after months of legal disputes and uncertainty over who would operate the state-owned property in Appanoose County.

State officials say a short-term management plan is now in place to reopen the resort and stabilize operations ahead of the busy summer season.

The golf course at Honey Creek has already reopened under new management.

The state brought in two separate companies to oversee operations in the short term. Embergrove Hospitality Group is managing the resort and lodging operations, while Maxim Golf Group is overseeing the golf course.

Officials say the rest of the resort is expected to reopen by the end of June, with the water park scheduled to reopen later this fall.

Iowa Department of Administrative Services Director Mark Campbell said splitting operations between two companies gives the state flexibility as it looks toward a permanent agreement.

“We decided to split it up and bring in a professional golf management company and then also have a professional hospitality company,” Campbell said. “That’s not to say that one of the companies bidding for long-term concessionary agreement might want to do both and score very well doing that and we could move to a single operator. This gives us an opportunity for someone to look at it and evaluate the process of having two different ones.”

State officials say both companies are operating under short-term management agreements.

The state plans to begin the process for a long-term concession agreement later this summer, with applications expected to open in August.