Published: March 18, 2009 10:17 pm      

Governor pitches resort sale to Trump

N.Y. magnate makes no immediate offer

CHARLESTON — Meet Donald Trump, world-famous real estate multi-millionaire and, uh, the new owner of The Greenbrier?

Could be.

Gov. Joe Manchin disclosed that prospect Wednesday, acknowledging he has contacted the New York magnate in hopes of lassoing a buyer for the world-renown resort in White Sulphur Springs.

Trump made no immediate offer, but Manchin said he left open the door to discuss the sale of the resort, now on the block, with lawmakers seeking to sweeten the pot by raising its share of gambling proceeds.

Senate Judiciary Committee panelists approved such a bill in late afternoon, letting it clear a major hurdle in the long, legislative process. There were no amendments to the bill in a near two-hour discussion.

Afterward, Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, said he personally opposes gambling but emphasized that issue was settled by Greenbrier County voters in approving gaming at the resort.

“I don’t think there’s any question — and I don’t think it’s a secret — that The Greenbrier is in trouble,” Caruth said.

“I think they’ve been losing money and there’s any number of reasons why. One of the suggestions is the old southern, quiet hotel like The Greenbrier, which is probably better than any other I’ve ever been to, is not in vogue any more. There isn’t a lot of things there to attract people.”

If the resort were to continue in its ante-bellum style, Caruth suggested, “it was almost destined to failure.”

The big question is, who is willing to lay down the money to buy it, and is that the intention of resort owner CSX — a sale or perhaps a lease agreement? At this stage, no one can say for sure.

“We had a nice conversation,” Manchin said of his telephone chat with Trump.

“I called Donald. I’m doing everything I can who I think might have the leverage or the ability to come and help us. He said, ‘I’m very interested.’ We sent him everything we could.”

Manchin said he is leaving no potential stone covered in seeking a buyer to maintain the resort that has played host to presidents, kings and queens, other foreign potentates and the big names in the entertainment, business and sports worlds.

“I think something good is going to happen with someone who has the expertise in running a world-class resort,” the governor said.

“I think the jobs that we’re going to be able to save will be the good jobs. They are all good jobs down there. Will it be the size that it is now? I really don’t know.”

Manchin said Trump returned a call he had left with an aide, informing the developer he wanted to sit down with him the next time he is in New York.

“He said, ‘That’s fine.’”

Manchin acknowledged he has emerged as the top agent in a prospective sale, noting CSX basically wants to limit itself to the transportation business.

“I think everything is going to work very favorably,” he said.

“They understand how important The Greenbrier is to West Virginia, to the perception and image of West Virginia, and how committed and dedicated and passionate we are about keeping that as a world-class resort.”

Under the bill offered by Sen. Jesse Guills, R-Greenbrier, the resort would pocket 47 percent of the proceeds in video lottery and 65 percent from table games.

The intent is to bring the resort on par with the take allowed West Virginia’s racetracks engaged in casino-style gambling.

Based on a projected 225 lottery terminals and a dozen table games, the resort figures gaming would generate some $7.9 million in revenues, while the state has pegged the annual income at just over $11 million.

Employees would get some $1,901,274 million combined from the two sources of gambling, under the hotel’s estimates, while the state figures its fund would take in an estimated $2.49 million.

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com