Rock City is interested in buying or leasing Mountain Cove Farms, but who else, exactly, is interested is a bit of a mystery.
In November, Lea Kapherr, who runs a company that rents furniture and decorations to brides and grooms, offered to lease Walker County’s resort and wedding venue for $2,000 per month. Then, on Dec. 5, she sent a letter to the county’s development authority upping the offer to $4,000 per month.
But Kapherr said she hadn’t made the second offer, despite her name appearing at the bottom of it.
The second proposal was signed “Leah Kapherr,” misspelling the supposed author’s first name.
Kapherr first came to the authority as a representative of The Cove Resorts, a new company forming to run Mountain Cove Farms. Kapherr said other people in the company might still be operating, using her name as a front. She declined to say who else was involved in The Cove Resorts.
However, Kapherr is loosely tied to Les Coffey, a controversial figure who is legally banned from Walker County. Coffey is a longtime opponent of outgoing county Commissioner Bebe Heiskell. He recently has been critical of Heiskell’s replacement, Shannon Whitfield.
Coffey said he has nothing to do with any lease of Mountain Cove Farms.
“I’m not the one,” he said. “I’m not really behind it.”
The second offer included a letter criticizing Whitfield. The author – whoever it might be – said Whitfield attended the Nov. 22 meeting with “many others in suits.”
“They presented themselves like a pack of wolves or bullies that had no agenda other than to interfere with the meeting and intimidate me,” the letter states.
Kapherr’s current husband and Coffey’s current wife used to be married, meaning the two share step-grandchildren.
“I don’t have anything to do with them,” Coffey said of the Kapherrs.
During the November meeting, Authority Chairman Robert Wardlaw said he believes the authority can lease the historic, 300-acre property in McClemore Cove for $10,000 per month, easy. He also didn’t feel comfortable making a decision one month before Whitfield replaces Heiskell.
Last week, authority members voted to seek other proposals for Mountain Cove Farms. Wardlaw said afterward he wasn’t counting Kapherr’s offer out, still thinking she wrote it. The authority simply wanted to see if other offers were out there.
Rock City CEO Bill Chapin has emailed Wardlaw to say the company is interested. Rock City President Susan Harris attended last Wednesday’s meeting but did not speak publicly. A spokeswoman for Rock City said executives are waiting to see what kind of partnership the authority has in mind before they make another move.