GULF SHORES - Tom Schlinkert has been looking for answers as to why the state doesn’t want to renew his contract for running ziplines in Gulf State Park.

“If they would just sit down and talk,” Schlinkert said. “They still won’t tell us why. There appears to be a reason they won’t tell us. I think it’s time these guys were upfront.”

They were upfront and personal on the morning of Oct. 3 when state park officials, including Gulf State Park Superintendent Lisa Laraway-Atchley, showed up to tell employees to cease operations.

“Lisa and a couple of the rangers came by saying they are on orders from DCNR, Gunter Guy, through their attorney Jennifer Weber, from their perspective our contract ends on Oct. 1 and we can no longer operate,” Schlinkert said. “Keep in mind they have not given us a reason, they have denied that has anything to do with the lodge project.”

State park employees began removing signs advertising for the ziplines on Monday as well.

Schlinkert says he’s asked several times and several different ways how and if the lodge project involved the picnic area. He said he has yet to receive a reply from the Alabama State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources after several inquiries.

“In our opinion there is no plausible reason why a zipline concession that produces income for the state park system, has operated in good faith with zero complaints or injuries should be closed at this juncture when both DCNR and the firm that is building the Lodge project say that there is no need for the property for the lodge project in the near term,” he said in an email to Gulf Coast Media.

“We just want to be treated fairly and to have the opportunity to meet with DCNR and together with them plan for the best utilization of our infrastructure to the benefit of all.”

Again, he found out in an inadvertent way plans involving the lodge would involve his operation when surveyors were scurrying around his headquarters at the Lake Shelby picnic.

“They’re going to put in a flyover from lodge,” Schlinkert said. Schlinkert said members of the survey crew told him that was the reason for their work in the picnic area and that it would be a parking area for the lodge.

Vince Calametti, Southwest Engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation, says the topic of a second pedestrian bridge over Alabama 182 in the area of the lodge has come up.

“I have heard the same thing just as far as general discussions but I haven’t seen any permits,” Calametti said.

He said the state’s view of structures over the roadway is simple.

“If they follow all the permit rules we don’t really have a preference,” Calametti said. “On one hand you’d like to see safe access across 182, if they have the funds to construct that then it’s a matter of permits. I guess I really don’t have a view either way on it.”

This is the second pedestrian bridge is in the plan for the Gulf State Park Project to span beach road. The first one revealed will cross the highway just west of the Saltwater Pavilion and connect the park’s trail system to a new Interpretive Center to be built as part of the project.

Leon Barkan, the principal on the project for Volkert Engineering said there are indeed plans for a span over Highway 182 to the picnic area of Gulf State Park. Basically where the zipline has its headquarters and the start and end of the zipline course.

“We’re looking at doing an additional one at the lodge site,” Barkan said. “It is at the lodge itself at (Alabama) 135, in that vicinity. I can’t say the exact location because I don’t have it in front of me.”

Barkan said the bridge would give lodge visitors access to the larger part of the park and its trails and it would also give visitors cycling or walking from the picnic area access to the lodge and the pier.

“What our goal is really is to really try to connect all aspects of the park and have as much pedestrian and bicycle connectivity as we can so people who visit the park can use all aspects of the park, not just little bits and pieces of it,” Barkan said. “All the trails, when we’re done with them they’ll be connectivity of the entire trail network throughout the park.”

As far as continuing the ziplines, Schlinkert believes he still has mediation rights for an extension and had two representatives working on Oct. 3 to exercise those rights.

“There’s only two things in our contract that they can be affected by,” he said. “One, if we breach the contract which they have not claimed. Or if they need the property for the lodge.”

He said the state has yet to exercise the second option of the contract and admit the area is needed as part of the lodge project. Under that option, Schlinkert, the state is to pay $40,000 toward the removal of the ziplines.

Moving of the zipline to an “adventure area” replacing the nine-hole golf course is mentioned several times in the Gulf State Project’s online plan.

“Our perspective is this: We didn’t breach the contract and they don’t need the property for the lodge,” Schlinkert said. “Then we’re entitled to continue to operate and that’s the position we’ve taken all along.”