The saga of the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort continues to unwind, even as state officials work diligently to keep information about the lodge’s poor performance from the public.
 
 Given the taxpayer’s role in keeping the thing from going bust, it’s a little annoying when state bureaucrats claim they can’t provide occupancy rates, for instance, because it would give the competition valuable information. That little ditty came directly to us from an official with the state’s Department of Economic Development. We really liked that, especially since the competition - privately owned hotels and motels in Allegany County - pay the taxes that are helping to keep Rocky Gap afloat.
 
 Last week, our delegation to Annapolis held a meeting for public input on issues facing our county. At that public meeting, Delegate Cas Taylor - who single-handedly wrested money to build Rocky Gap from state coffers - announced that Rocky Gap is NOT losing money. He made this announcement in response to a citizen who asked, not inappropriately, when the state taxpayers would stop footing the bill for the hotel’s existence.
 
 While Mr. Taylor may want us all to believe that Rocky Gap is not losing money, we have to chuckle at the thought. Not losing money? Wasn’t it just last year that the Associated Press - or perhaps the Capital News Service - did a story asserting that the hotel had lost approximately $2.5 million in the previous 12 months?
 
 We remember that. And apparently Chad Fornwalt, the citizen challenging Mr. Taylor on his hotel’s performance at last week’s meeting, remembered that as well. Mr. Fornwalt continued in spite of Mr. Taylor’s denial. He pointed out the fact that the resort would be faring even more poorly if the state didn’t require all state employees traveling to Western Maryland on business to stay there.
 
 Plus, state conferences, seminars and other meetings are mandated to be held at Rocky Gap.
 
 So we’re subsidizing this hotel not only by picking up that $2.5 million they lost, but also by artificially inflating their occupancy rates. (You honestly think state employees have lodging allowances of $150 per day?)
 
 We’re also hurting the private sector in Allegany County. Want an example? Ok - awhile ago the state Department of Natural Resources wanted to have a conference at a privately owned local hotel and conference facility. The DNR contacted the facility, got the necessary information and was about to book the place when Mr. Taylor stepped in. He called the DNR to inform them that they had to hold their event at Rocky Gap. So they did.
 
 When Rocky Gap was built, the community was assured that the resort would not compete with locally owned hotels and motels, simply because this was to be a first class resort going after a completely different clientele.
 
 What a joke. Rocky Gap goes after the same market as most other hotels in the area; they don’t have the amenities to compete with true four-and-five star resorts. Last winter, they had special off-season rates that dipped below $100 per night, well in the range of private sector hotels in the area.
 
 This is blatantly unfair - Rocky Gap doesn’t have to worry about the bottom line, because the taxpayers will keep paying no matter how badly it performs.
 
 What a great deal. We can’t wait to see how much tax money Mr. Taylor’s $10 million amphitheater sucks up. Between the hotel and the amphitheater - another bottomless money pit - the state of Maryland may be able to kiss that huge surplus goodbye.