N.C., Tenn. unite to reopen Great Smoky Mountains park

Jon Ostendorff | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Smokies hope to reopen by end of week The Great Smoky National Park hopes to reopen by the end of the week regardless of the government shutdown.

Leaves are at their peak fall colors now in the park that straddles the two states%27 borders

The tourism industry in the area has lost %2433 million so far because of the park%27s shutdown

Five other states also have made money available to open a dozen additional national parks

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina and Tennessee became the latest states to pay to reopen a national park as businesses feel the pinch of the lingering federal government shutdown.

Great Smoky Mountains National park, which straddles the two states, will open Wednesday. The states will pay its operational costs through Sunday.

North Carolina will spend $75,000 and Tennessee, and two of its counties, will spend $305,000 to reopen the park during the peak of fall tourism season. North Carolina's money comes from tourism advertising dollars.

The national park draws more than 9 million visitors a year, more than twice the number of any other national park, according to National Geographic magazine.

Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement that he is exploring options to open other national parks in North Carolina, which could include the Blue Ridge Parkway and Carl Sandburg Home National Historic site near Asheville.

"This is about jobs and the economy," he said. "Many North Carolina communities depend on tourism generated by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's critical that we get the gates reopened during the fall season."

The move got applause from the tourism industry, which has lost $33 million in visitor spending in the 18 North Carolina and Tennessee counties within 60 miles of the Smokies, according to a study from an economist at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.

Workers lost more than $12 million in wages, state coffers lost $1.8 million in tax revenue and counties and municipalities lost $1 million in local taxes, the WCU study said.

Marla Tambellini, deputy director of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, said any move to reopen parks sends a positive message to those planning trips to the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.

"The more that we can convey that this entire Western North Carolina and East Tennessee region is open for business the better it is for the entire area," she said.

North Carolina and Tennessee follow at least five other states in footing the bills to open parks. Offers from Arizona, Colorado, New York, South Dakota and Utah to pay costs prompted the reopening of several national parks starting Saturday:

• South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said the state will pay $15,200 a day to reopen Mount Rushmore.

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state will fork out $61,600 a day to reopen the Statue of Liberty through Oct. 17.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., whose 11th congressional district includes the North Carolina side of the Smokies, said Tuesday that he urged McCrory to pay to reopen the parks, citing their importance to tourism.

"We are thankful that the governor is working to try to help minimize any damage that the government shutdown has had on the people of Western North Carolina," he said.

Meadows was among House Republicans who pushed to delay and defund the Affordable Care Act within the federal budget bill. The move led to an impasse with Democrats in the Senate, which resulted in the shutdown.

Jon Ostendorff also reports for the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times.