Alvin Nash For Countryside

What a pleasant surprise. Mr. Nash, a golfer, and member of Countryside Golf Association. He had written a letter to Council last year expressing the reasons for keeping the golf course. Woohoo, is all I can say and we'll hold him to it. Whoa is the Editorial Board - is their endorsement the "kiss of death" these days. Will the citizens wise up on May 6th and make up their own minds?

Rubert Cutler Wants Countryside Developed

The Roanoke Times Editorial Board has spoken. Dr. Rupert Cutler is their choice. This is the same man who made fun of the Countryside residents in Northwest when he was on Council. He and Fitzpatrick joked about us "seeing all kinds of flying things" out here at the airport. We would see birds and airplanes and we would all be happy, ignorant citizens. We pleaded for the wildlife here. He is a preservationist when it is convenient for his agenda. All hail to the Editorial Board - I will be kneeling before them on April 17th to receive the blessing from these gods. I know you all have seen the movie "A Christmas Story". The part where Ralphie is hanging on to the top of the sliding board making his plea for the Red Rider Rifle "triple action" something or other like that. Santa Claus put his foot on Ralphie's head and sends him down the slide saying "you'll shoot your eye out, kid"! Well I fully expect the Editorial Board to put their foot on my "head" or some other part of my anatomy and say "no hope for you - oh ye commoner unworthy of our endorsement". Well let the people have the last laugh for a change ... show them and VOTE on May 6th.

Check my signs going up and a sample at my GARNER FOR COUNCIL BLOG.

From The Deputy Director Of Finance - Countryside Property Mortgage

The next "Interest Only" payment in June on the mortgage of the Countryside Golf Course Property will bring interest paid to date to well over 1/2 million dollars. The total financed was $3,975,000 dollars for 15 years at 6.25%.

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This is the email response from the Roanoke City Finance Department:

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008 3:23 PM
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Mrs. Garner,
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My apologies for taking a few days to respond. We are in daily budget meetings, so things are a tad busy. The answers (A) to your questions (Q) are as follows:
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Q - Can you please confirm that the same financing is in place with the now named Carter Bank & Trust that you communicated to me previously.
A - Yes, that is correct. Previously, it was First National Exchange Bank.
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Q - What is the payment amount - I believe you indicated it was every 6 months and not monthly.
A - Payments are made semi-annually. Interest is paid in both June and December, while principal reductions are made annually in December. Principal payments are $265,000 per year, and interest payments decline as the principal balance is reduced. The bonds will be paid off in December 2020. The principal balance is currently $3,445,000.
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Q - What is the interest paid to date. Where is the payment coming from -the General Fund?
A - Interest to date totals $470,651. Debt payments are funded from the City's General Fund which is consistent with all general government projects.We trust these responses will provide you the information you need. If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
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Thank you,
Ann Shawver
CPA Deputy Director of Finance City of Roanoke

"Sunshine Week" - March 16th - 22nd

I was informed by the Roanoke Times Editorial Board that since I am now a candidate for Roanoke City Council that I would have to state so in any blogging on editorials or commentary. I did bog today and they did publish it. I may continue this on the issues I passionately support.

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CLICK HERE for my blog entry on "Freedom Of Information".

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Go to GARNER FOR COUNCIL on more complete comments.

Listen To The "Electro Krats"

A promise kept at the St. Patrick's Day parade today. A video of Roy Bedwell singing "Ring Of Fire" at the Roanoke City Democratic Committee Christmas Party in December. 2007. CLICK HERE AND TURN YOUR SPEAKERS ON.

"In The News" Video Clip

See the clip and read about how the media can put words in your mouth.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE VIDEO about me and the Roanoke City Council elections in May.

Letter to the Editor Favoring Countryside As A Municipal Golf Course

Today's Letter to the Editor in The Roanoke Times:

Municipal golf course is a better investment

The Feb. 19 commentary by Valerie Garner "Chipping away at Countryside" exposed the narrow-minded approach of Roanoke city government and city council members to the valuable asset and potential of the Countryside Golf Course.

The city should not turn a blind eye to this potential cash cow for Roanoke and the future generations that could enjoy one of the last green refuges in a sea of expanding industrial development and asphalt. The city's plan for a real estate development with $400,000-plus homes is unrealistic now with the ever-mounting inventory of homes on the market and the mortgage industry going belly up.

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Why not look north at the Baltimore solution adopted more than 20 years ago? The Baltimore Municipal Golf Corp. began in 1985 with a loan of $500,000 from the city and since invested more than $6.5 million in capital improvements to the five city courses and donated more than $4 million to city youth programs. The courses are great and readily accessible to the general public.

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As you enter the Shenandoah Valley into Roanoke off Interstate 81 onto Interstate 581, let there be an attractive municipal Countryside Golf Course available to all.

JOHN W. SMITH
BOONES MILL

Today I Announced For City Council

Barely recovering from the flu with a voice not quite sounding like me I forged ahead with my scheduled 10:00 AM announcement today. Go to the Garner For Council blog and read the text and see the nice setup my friend "Cutty" Edwards had for me at the Holiday Inn. I felt like Hillary Clinton standing up there, "my friends".

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Very nice of Brian Townsend to email me this morning regarding the agenda item scheduled for vote today. I noticed that the agenda item was identified more accurately as I objected to at the February 19th Public Hearing where the acre was identified only as "vacant city-owned property". Today's agenda carried the wording as "vacant city-owned property" located at Countryside Golf Course. The acre to be sold to Newbern, LLC:

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7:27 AM - Ms. Garner...given that we will not have 2 City Council members at our meeting today, the City Council will not act on the matter related to the conveyance of the 1+- acre of property at Countryside to Newbern Properties. As you might recall from the last City Council meeting, state law is very specific about how many councilpersons are required to vote on the conveyance of public property. I am not sure what date the Council will move this item to at this time. However, I wanted to let you know this in case you were planning to come to the meeting today at 2pm.

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Brian Townsend

Assistant City Manager for Community Development

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JUST IN from Brian Townsend at 3:00 PM:

Ms. Garner...today at its meeting, the City Council tabled the matter regarding the Conveyance of 1.05 acres of the Countryside Golf Course to Newbern Properties until their April 7th meeting at 2pm.

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PS: I swear it seems like that stake gets closer to Frontage Road every time I go by it. As I took yet my 100th picture of the stake I met "Ernie" of "Ernie's" downtown and he said he has been asking Mayor Harris regularly: "What are you going to do with Countryside Golf Course?" It seems Ernie has been a member of Countryside "forever". He thanked us all for working so hard to keep it. As I expected Ernie did not know what the stakes were for and is really concerned about it now. Ernie wants to buy me lunch so you betcha I'll be visiting Ernie's real soon.