ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 8, 1996 TAG: 9611080088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
The driving force who has seen Explore Park through its infancy said Thursday he'll resign to start a regional land-preservation group.
Rupert Cutler will become executive director of the Western Virginia Land Trust in Roanoke. The new nonprofit organization will strive to keep development away from ridges, views, animal habitat and historic places.
Cutler will stay until his replacement arrives, probably early next year. A search will begin soon, officials said.
Cutler, a former college professor, Carter administration official and executive with national environmental groups, has spent almost six years with Explore Park in Roanoke County.
Hired as an environmental educator, he later paved the way for the 1994 opening of the state park - a $25-million recreation of a frontier homestead with costumed Indians camped in the woods nearby. He oversaw the park's first three seasons, raised public and private funds and administered reconstruction of historic buildings on the 1,300 acres.
It was Cutler who steered planners away from an earlier concept for a history-related amusement complex and huge commercial enterprise with hotels, a convention center, stores, bank, post office and security force. Cutler said a $50 million zoo still is planned.
"We couldn't have done what we have done without Rupert," said Stan Lanford, president of The River Foundation, Explore's fund-raising arm.
The park's governing board hopes to replace Cutler with a director whose skills match the park's changing circumstances. After getting a disappointing 31,000 visitors this year, Explore expects much larger crowds starting in 1998. The lure is expected to be a 100-seat restaurant and connector road from the Blue Ridge Parkway, both now under construction, and a planned welcome center.
"What we probably need to look for now is somebody who's more of a manager, more of an administrator, a person who expects themselves to go in everyday and tell 25 to 30 people what to do," Lanford said. Better advertising also will be needed, he said.
Cutler, by contrast, was "not an operational guy," said Cabell Brand, a land trust board member and civic leader. Though Cutler said he enjoyed his time at Explore Park, he told Brand he didn't want to run the park indefinitely.
Delegating the operational, day-to-day tasks proved difficult. Just two weeks ago, Cutler requested the resignation of his general manager, Chet Simmons, whom Cutler hired 14 months ago to run the park's daily affairs.
Cutler stuck Thursday to an earlier vow not to discuss the termination publicly. Earlier this week, he said he and Simmons couldn't work together. Simmons could not be reached to comment.
The park board, the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority, considered it within Cutler's authority to push Simmons out, said chairman Jack Loeb.
Cutler had indicated he would retire or leave Explore by his 63rd birthday, which fell on Oct. 28. But park officials did not see his departure coming or ask for it in response to his handling of Simmons, said Lanford, of the River Foundation. Cutler served as both the top paid staff member of the authority and River Foundation.
But Cutler's Explore Park salary of $95,000 salary has been paid by the Ohrstrom Foundation in Middleburg, Va., and a second family foundation in Pennsylvania, which Cutler declined to identify.
Because of the unusual way Cutler is paid, Explore Park now faces a new expense in hiring his replacement, while the fledging trust gains its first administrator even though it has no money.
The search for a new park director will begin locally, but if the right person can't be found, will expand, Cutler said. The goal is to have a replacement before the park reopens for its 1997 season in April.
Cutler said he both decided to announce his departure and landed his new job between breakfast and lunch on Wednesday. That meant that as he prepared to make his plans public to a press conference at a downtown Roanoke hotel Thursday morning, some members of Explore's board had not been notified.
After the conference, Cutler bought carry-out pizzas and soft drinks, went back to his park office and told his staff the news.
Scott Sarver, an employee and consultant since 1992, said the staff was stunned. "He has done a superb job getting things off the ground" and will leave the park "on pretty solid footing," Sarver said.
Loeb said, "I hate to see Rupert go. I think it's a good move on his part."
"I'll be moving from one great job to another," Cutler said. "I love Explore Park and will leave part of my heart at Explore Park."
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. Rupert Cutler announces hisby CNBresignation from Explore Park during a press conference at the
Patrick Henry Hotel on Thursday.