There Is A Fox In The Countryside Hen House

The red fox that resides in a den located on Countryside Golf Course has hit the jackpot! As some of us had wondered if the resident on Cove Road that backs up to the 11th green was a-fowl (pun intended) of the city code. You see they have chickens. We discovered it was permissible to have up to 10 chickens in a certain square footage, fenced, and a certain distance from another residence. The red fox also thought this was a dandy idea and helped himself yesterday morning to one of the little clucks. Big Red was seen walking down Mattaponi with one of the chickens in his mouth as the chicken was still resisting his certain fate. Since there are nine more chickens in the hen house we are expecting to see a return visit ... about nine of them.

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On another note - today sitting on the back porch with Rosanne Saunders at the 11th green to our amazement we saw "galloping" down the 10th fairway SIX (6) deer one behind the other. They must have jumped Cove Road. They sure scared the dickens out of the golfers on the 10th fairway. Newt, you better be careful Sunday as you almost literally came in contact with a wild turkey too. It's a jungle out there!

Letter To The Editor - The Roanoke Times

Write about a course for Average Joe golfer
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Two times now, The Roanoke Times has written about this new, fancy golf course being built for 260 Tom and Bertha Betterthanyou's ("Golf getaway," April 17 news story, and "Uniquely exclusive," July 22 sports story). The average Joe couldn't care less about Ballyhack since he will never get to see it.
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The Roanoke Times would better serve its readers and the public if it would write about Countryside Golf Course and urge the city of Roanoke to really invest in this golf course instead of some amphitheater in a swamp.
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Countryside Golf Course would return money to the city and give the average Joe a nice place to play golf. Something for the public for a change. Those 260 elite who The Times wrote about are not even reading your paper. Their noses are stuck in The Wall Street Journal.
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WENDELL POFF
FLOYD COUNTY

*** Thank you, Wendell Poff - there is nothing that need be add to your letter!

Roanoke Times - 2008 golf guide: The area's best five courses

If you have not read in the Roanoke Times - 2008 golf guide: The area's best five courses:
And a few that anyone can play. CLICK HERE FOR STORY:

Ellis Maples created a gem of a routing here, with several of the area’s best holes. In fact, [Nos.] 16, 9, and 12 may be the best par 3, 4, and 5 in Roanoke.” — Wade Whitehead, former Patrick Henry High golf coach

3. Countryside Golf Club - Check this out, Roanoke City bigwigs. According to the voters here, this golf course should stay put and not be buried under some sort of development project. While the city-owned course hasn’t had enough money to keep it in A-1 condition for years, there’s little argument that Countryside has one of the best layouts in the area. It was good enough to play host to a VPGA Open in 1981, won by Bobby Wadkins. Designed by Ellis Maples, the course’s five par 3s from the tips may be second to none as a group in this area in degree of difficulty.

Councilman Keeps Changing Countryside Support

Well now, I just came from the Deyerle Court neighborhood meeting. I was late due to attending the Fraternal Order of Police meeting. There were 8 candidates including myself. It had turned into a forum. I did get to speak. My point is that our supporter Councilman Lea has somewhat changed his tune on supporting Countryside Golf Course as an 18-hole golf course named after Roy Stanley. The "tune" change was an 18-hole golf course AND development. How is that for a kick in the A$$.

April 16th - "Shine Your Light" On Mill Mountain

Everyone wanting to make a gesture of remembrance come to the Mill Mountain Star at 7:45PM, Wednesday, April 16th. BRING YOUR FLASHLIGHT or other illumination and shine it into the darkness as Joe Lehman put it so well below. William Fleming Teachers and students will be present to remember Henry Lee, the 2006 William Fleming graduate who was killed that day. For some of us it is not yet behind us. CLICK HERE FOR Henry Lee's STORY from the Roanoke Times.

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Part of text from Father Joe Lehman, Easter, 2008:

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"As of March 18 this year, the Tuesday before Easter, I had nothing I was stuck. But that changed that evening when I sat down with that morning's Roanoke Times. On the front page of the Virginia section a tiny article announced what "The Star City" planned to do on April 6th in observance of the first anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech; namely, "to leave the mountain's 88 ft. neon star turned off".

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"It's a noble and touching gesture and one we did "before when the star was briefly extinguished after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001." It's a noble and touching gesture but is it the right one. Why would we want to confront the darkness in life and mark a tragedy like that of April 16 with more darkness! Should we not flood the memorializing of that terrible day with light ... with lots of bright, healing and comforting light! Should not "The Star City" instead of darkening its signature sign ... its brand, also light tiny stars in memory of those who lost lives that day but whose shining lights could not/can never be extinguished!

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I think back to what the students did on the drill field the night of the shooting and on the nights that followed. They lit candles. They were silently present to each other. Someone broke the silence with an unrehearsed "Amazing Grace" which quickly spread, as tears were shed and dried and as fears were shared. I remember, too, what our valley did at Victory Stadium the night of September 12, 2001 with the great help and blessing of the city, under the leadership of the Roanoke Valley (interfaith) Ministers Conference.

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We gathered to proclaim the scriptures - Psalm 27, to be exact., "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear". We prayed our goodbyes ..... We also lit candles ... passing the light - scattering the darkness of the night and the darkness in each other's lives ... "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness"..... We confront the darkness with light. We break the silence with and by our presence.

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Joe Lehman is Pastor of Our Lady of Nazareth Catholic Church.

Countryside Sliced Off By One Acre

It seems like such a small slice but I still say it jeopardizes the 2nd and 3rd fairways. No plan did we see - at least Mr. Nash grilled the Meadowbrook management and viewed the stakes placed on the boundaries. But in the end, the vote was 7-0 (unanimous) to sell the acre to Newbern, LLC, for $55,000. My request to have the $55,000 earmarked for the much needed improvements went unheeded. I gave it all I had but you know when a business "threatens" to move out of the City panic sets in on City Council and nothing else matters. We want the $55,000!

Sale Of Acre Of Countryside - Monday Council Meeting

This is the first indication of the size of the TRANE expansion. Contacting Brian Townsend last week he said there were no plans submitted as requested by Council. Needless to say I will be at the meeting. My question is HOW can anyone say if it interferes with play or not with NO plan available to view. Meadowbrook wants to keep the lease and make the City happy so they can keep operating the golf course reaping the nice profit for themselves. So the fact that they are not objecting is clear. They don't care what happens to the golf course in the future because THEY DON'T OWN IT anymore. Let us see if Council's request to view the plans is honored and IF NOT will they just go with the flow of the business need and risk this city-owned asset's future operation as a viable golf course. The City nor Council has committed to the golf course. This sale should be tabled until COUNCIL GOES TO VIEW the property. The stakes have been in place for many months and not one Council member has bothered to check the property. This is a test for the new Councilman Alvin Nash - a golfer and advocate for Countryside Golf Course. Let us see if he falls to the majority on this. It will tell us allot about his previous letter to Council asking to save the golf course and for the city to reap the profits.

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AGENDA ITEM 8 - a:

Newbern Properties, LLC has expressed an interest to purchase a 1.05 Acre Tract of City-owned land identified as Tax Map #6472302 located at Countryside Golf Course in order to accommodate a 13,000 to 14,000 square foot expansion of the Trane Distribution Center. The offer of $55,000 equals the value of the property determined by an independent appraisal conducted by the City. Upon consultation with the golf course manager, Meadowbrook Colf, it has been determined that the conveyance of this 1.05 acre tract will have no adverse impact on course operations.

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Recommended Action:
Authorize the City Manager to execute such further action as may be necessary to accomplish the above matter, including execution of a deed and to complete the sale of the property to Newbern Properties, LLC. All such documents are to be approved as to form by the City Attorney.