GULF SHORES – Tom Schlinkert, one of the owners and General Manager of Gulf Adventure Center says his relationship with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has always been good and talks were going well until recently.

Schlinkert wants to continue operating Gulf Adventure Center including Hummingbird Zip Lines at Lake Shelby in Gulf State Park. State officials say they don’t intend to renew his contract.

“It is my sense that this decision is not being made by DCNR due to their ongoing cooperation,” Schlinkert said. “It would appear that the developers of the lodge project have intervened.”

Alabama Director of State Parks Greg Lein said last week the state will not renew the contract.

According to the principal of the Gulf State Park Project from Volkert Engineering, that project has had no impact on the contract renewal process of the zip lines.

“That zip line issue is outside the scope of our project,” Volkert’s Leon Barkan said. “I personally have nothing to do with the zip line issue.”

Barkan is Vice President for Program and Construction Management at Volkert.

But the master plan for the Gulf State Project available online there are at least eight mentions of relocating the zip lines.

According to page 156 of the Gulf State Park Project, a “phase 2 key project New Park Adventure Launch” includes the bulleted item “zip lining (relocated) ropes course.” Presumably the ropes course is to be an addition within the scope of the project.

On page 160 of the master plan on a new outdoor center for the park, it states “The outdoor center will be complimented by relocating the zip lines to this area, and expanding them to include a broader range of adventure activities like a ropes course and mountain bike circuit. The forested setting will create a new kind of elevated experience, and the zip line towers will blend into the forest, becoming a more integrated part of the park visually.”

On page 166, in the Phase 3 section, zip line relocation is mentioned again in a section entitled “The Picnic Area: A Great Community Gathering Space.” It states “Relocating the zip lines to the Park Adventure Launch (Phase 2) frees up space to improve circulation, consolidate parking in the Picnic Area, and add amenities for everyone to enjoy, like a playground, pavilion, and more great shady picnic sites.”

On page 167, again in a section entitled “The Picnic Area: A Great Community Gathering Space,” the plan states “zip lines relocated to northern part of park” and “one zip line tower preserved and converted to a free site(sic)-seeing platform.”

Further mentions of the zip line in the Master Plan included moving them to the golf course area on page 187. On page 191 under the heading Picnic Area Enhancements entitled “Timing Considerations,” it states “flexible timing; best if occurs after zip lines relocated.

Again on page 192 there is the mention of “Relocate the Zip lines to the Golf Course (in sync with Golf Course conversion)” with the exact same mention on page 194.

Other activities at the park, Lein said, may have played a role in the decision not to renew the contract.

“There’s a lot of changes going on down at that park,” Lein said. “We may eventually want a zip line somewhere else in the park but we’re not at a point where we know for certain what we want to do relative to that kind of concession operation.”

Owners of the business are seeking negotiations with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to extend the contract for four more years and keep the zip lines operating where they are now.

“There’s provisions in the contract for additional four-year terms but they are by mutual agreement and we’re not interested in any additional contract period,” Lein said. “His contract expires after four years and it’s not being renewed, basically.”

Schlinkert said he is seeking mediation, per the terms in the contract, on the state’s decision.

“We’re entitled to another and the contract is set up to be renewed for another four years,” Schlinkert said. That’s what the state committed to and that’s what we think they should live up to.”

Lein says the mediation will be about the terms of removal.

“There is a provision in the contract that allows for mediation and I think there is some question about the removal of the structures,” Lein said. “As I understand it that’s being explored between the lawyers. I wouldn’t describe that as something relative to having four more years or anything. The question is about the removal of the towers.”

Schlinkert said his relationship with the state park and DCNR has been beneficial for both parties in the first four years of operation.

“We are an incredible asset to the state and the park and have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements and in direct cash payments to the park,” he said.

According to Schlinkert, Gulf Adventure Center's records show that the business contributes more than $150,000 in sales tax annually, employs seven full-time and 48 part-time employees, and has provided revenues in excess of $300,000 to the Gulf State Park since its inception.