Countryside Tree Grab

[Click Pictures to Enrage]

Over the past couple of weeks, Countryside Golf Course has lost a large amount of tree cover. The Roanoke Airport Commission has decided to clear their property of woody green vegetation. Sadly, the course has now been stripped.

The following nine pictures document the damage to the area adjacent to Lewiston Rd. I was disappointed the the family of Mallard ducks weren't hanging out in the acidic sawdust pond that was created after logging ended.

The following four pictures chronicle the view from the cul-de-sac of Cheraw Lake Rd.

The wooded areas adjacent to Frontage Road have taken the greatest hit. The whole stretch has been wiped out. Some of my favorite blackberry, raspberry, and cherry trees have been destroyed. In addition, no protection appears to have been given to the stream that runs through the cut zone.

Instead of topping or selectively clearing some of the larger trees from the area, the Airport Commission chose to clear all woody vegetation. The timing of this job is interesting.

~Newt

Shifting Gears

Time marches on. I can't really remember when I began this blog. I think it was in April of 2007. However, my interest in Countryside Golf Course dates back 40 years. I've been writing about the course ever since I can remember. As the events of 2005 unfolded, I found myself becoming more vocal and pointed in my written thoughts. Those thoughts and feelings were the genesis of this blog. Over the past couple of years, this blog has been instrumental in focusing positive attention on the golf course and marshaling forces devoted to saving it.

Along the way, Valerie Garner became an integral part of this blog. She worked tirelessly as an advocate, watchdog, and director of this blog. Now she has electronically moved on to her new site:

The Roanoke Free Press

This site will feature the same detailed Countryside coverage as well as fascinating community oriented topics. I encourage all readers to mark down The Roanoke Free Press as the source of information regarding Countryside.

This blog will continue to operate as an archive. In addition, I may add my own content from time to time relating to the course and the efforts by some to dismantle it.

Countryside Golf Course is safe for now, but insecurity is only one budget battle away.

Thom Ryder

What Came First...

What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

Roanoke City Council met August 4 in an information session on Countryside at City Hall. The session began around 11:15 and lasted for about two hours. During that time the full council was briefed in depth by Brian Townsend before giving way to a question/answer time.

Much of Townsend’s briefing was geared to providing the new council members; Rosen, Price, Bowers, and Nash; and opportunity to become familiar with the history of the Countryside purchase and development plans by the City.

Much of the briefing centered on how the airport impacts the club. With a significant chunk of land leased to the city by the airport commission and with that lease due to expire in mid November, the city will need to renegotiate the lease for golf to continue. In addition, the airport commission wishes to widen the Runway Protection Zone (RPZ). To accomplish that goal, a land swap is being proposed that will swap two tracts on either side of Ranch Road for land on either side of the current RPZ. The parcels offered by the Airport Commission for the swap have been altered from the original proposal, however. No doubt Valerie will go back and tweak her now famous RPZ image to illustrate the current swap proposal. Townsend stated the reason for the change was due to the overall value of the property being taken by the airport commission not matching the value of the property the airport commission was giving to the city (at least that’s the way I understood what he was saying.)

Part of the informational briefing centered on the current state of the golf facility. Townsend informed the council that Meadowbrook currently pays $17,500 for the lease to operate the course. The annual debt service for FY 2009 is just over $470,000. Meadowbrook reported $87,500 in profit in 2005, $79,800 in 2006, and $43,200 in 2007.

Townsend also covered the short-term capital improvement needs for Countryside:

Cart Paths:

-$25,000 for paving paths near tees and greens/returning rest to grass

Or

-$180,000 for full replacement

Irrigation System

-$100,000 for repairs

Or

-$700,000 for full replacement

Burcham and Townsend then presented their two basic recommendations:

1. Short Term Golf Course Agreements

-Extend limited lease agreements with a management group for five years

-Finalize Land swap and Lease Extensions

-Limited capital improvements

-Identify additional redevelopment ideas (may still develop at a later date)

2. “Golf Course Stewardship” Long Term Golf Commitment

-Finalize land swap and lease renewal with Airport Commission

-RFP operation and management lease

-Feasibility Study for golf operation

-Invest in the capital improvement plan

The discussion was focused and productive. Most council members stated their support for maintaining the golf course. The real debate seemed to be centered on the airport lease. Here comes the chicken and egg part. Dr. Trinkle and Mrs. Mason were especially focused on the upcoming possible lease extension by the airport commission. The question is will the airport commission extend the lease so that the city can then commit to golf or does the city need to commit to golf so that that airport commission will extend the lease? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Mr. Nash and Dr. Trinkle also broached the subject of a permanent commitment to golf. One thing that our organization hopes to avoid is another round of development roulette five years down the road when the housing market looks sunnier. We want a firm commitment to support fully Countryside Golf Course. One way to demonstrate that is by seeking a long-term lease with the airport commission. If the airport commission were to commit to a long-term lease (ten years or longer) where the city guaranteed that the land would remain a golf course, then the airport commission could be assured of having a low-density acceptable use of the property.

Mayor Bowers made several comments that cheered us. He stated that he didn’t want this process to drag out. He wants citizens to be heard in the matter and then a firm time window of no more than a year established to iron out the details of the city’s course of action. Of course, with both the Meadowbrook lease and airport commission lease all coming due in October/November, that time table will need to be pushed up even more.

Mayor Bowers also stated that Roanokers tell him that they are “…green with envy…” over Salem’s commitment to parks and recreation facilities. He maintained that Countryside is an ideal location to develop our own recreation facility with tennis and competitive swimming components.

Court Rosen and Anita Price did a lot of listening, but Rosen did state that the city can make Countryside Golf Course are real amenity. He mentioned that thinking out of the box on how to utilize the assets of the course is important. He gave for example, the idea that memberships may be offered to employees to businesses that choose to locate in the city.

Anita Price quietly made the powerful point that the city and Meadowbrook need to be doing more to market and publicize the course. She pointed out that the visitor brochure produced by the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau does not list Countryside in the golf listings. Other public courses are listed, but not the city’s course. Several phone books serve the valley. Interestingly, if you want to look up Countryside in the yellow pages of the Verizon phone book (the largest and arguably most popular), you won’t find it listed at all. It does appear in the “Yellow Book” with an attractive quarter page ad.

Mr. Lea restated his long-standing support for the 18 hole golf course. Like the other council members, he stated a desire to meet with the airport commission.

Dr. Trinkle, in addition to his other comments, stated that he wants the city to commit to five to ten years of being good stewards of the golf course. He also wants to hear from the public about how the facility can benefit the community and schools.

Mrs. Burcham began to wind down the meeting by stressing that the staff would like to put forth an RFP for a 5-year lease to run the golf course facility. She stated that the council and staff would need to define expenses and responsibilities before entering into the lease agreement.

At that point, the discussion became a little murky and difficult to follow. We weren’t sure exactly what will be brought before the council in terms of RFP’s at future meetings. However, we believe that Council directed staff to bring an RFP proposal with at least a five year lease built in back to them. It also appeared that some council members directed the staff to negotiate with Meadowbrook for a long-term commitment; however, that negotiation may be handled through the RFP process. (The council members sat with their backs to the public and there were no microphones, so it was sometimes difficult to hear comments and read body language.)

Countryside Neighborhood Alliance had a strong showing with many of our friends present. In addition, representatives from the golf course attended.

The session produced news of an upcoming meeting with the airport commission to discuss several issues. Perhaps the lease extension and land swap will come up. This meeting will take place on September 2 at noon. We didn’t catch the location.

Overall, we were very pleased with the tone and seriousness of the discussions. The council members were civil to and respectful of the public and each other. They discussed, unrelated to Countryside, having a retreat at a local venue (most likely the city owned Apple Ridge Farm) to discuss issues and set goals and priorities. If the chickens can be hatched, Countryside Golf Course may have a bright future.

City Council to Be Briefed Monday

"I think it was a mistake to even try to do something with it in the first place," Nash said. "But the city backed into a situation, whether they intended to or not, where they have a municipal course, and hopefully they can get it right this time."

~Alvin Nash quoted by Mason Adams in his Roanoke Times article August 3


The Roanoke Times ran a piece in the newspaper today. In his article Mason Adams raised three primary questions that may be batted around.

• Does the council want to take another shot at development or leave it for recreation?

• If the latter, then should it be used for athletic fields, passage for the Lick Run Greenway or maybe even an aquatic facility with swimming pools?

• And if the council does want to stick with the 18-hole golf course, then who manages it? Meadowbrook? The city? Or should it issue a request for proposals?

Representatives of Countryside Neighborhood Alliance and Save Countryside will be on hand to monitor the discussion. We'll post a report here after the meeting.

Roanoke City Council Meeting and Briefing Today

First I'd like to correct the date the expiration of the City's lease on the airport owned land that serves as the RPZ (Runway Protection Zone) at runway 6. I pulled my copy of the lease and it is November 14th, 2008, not October 31st. October 31st is when the one year lease with the operators of Countryside Golf Course will end. Another detail is that the amount the airport receives from the City is exactly $4,731 per Jesse Hall, previous Director of Finance, email, dated January 10, 2006.

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I was so glad Al Steele was able to make the meetings as this lends an extra pair of ears in case I missed anything. We both surmised how much more informative the briefings are compared to the Council meeting where votes are taken.

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I mentioned the 40 year lease ending during the 2:00 PM public comments prior to the briefing as I was fairly sure that new Council members and possibly other Council members may not know or remember. This I related to the airport desiring the land swap which I have covered ad nauseum previously.

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The other topics were the intersection of Valley View Blvd., Thirlane, and entrance to the airport which every citizen and deplaning visitor to Roanoke knows it to be a confusing mess. However, the City has a plan that was detailed at the briefing. The City would like to move forward with it at a cost of $2 million and hopes of some cost sharing and land from the Airport Commission. It seems the Airport Commission has other ideas so it was indicated that if the Airport Commission does not get off their duff that the City will proceed on its own.... good!

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The other topic was the Valley View exchange and Hershberger exchange. This was a very complicated subject that I won't try to get into here but suffice it to say with VDOT involved, transportation funding staled, and $69 million allocated (which is not enough for both) it is a tangled web ... come to think of it all three topics are a puzzle with each piece dependent on another. If this briefing and other briefings were televised it would give citizens a chance to see what the Council and yes, even the administration is up against.

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Now back to Countryside lease and land swap - an important date to discuss the land swap with the Airport Commission will be at their joint meeting scheduled for September 2nd. I don't think the lease will be discussed at that time or at least no decision would be made at the September meeting. This is dependent on the Council briefing (and their direction) on Countryside Golf Course to take place on August 4th (at about 10:00 AM in EOC basement). The results of that briefing and subsequent Council meeting will enable City Administration to formally ask for an extension of the 40 year lease for a period of 5 years. At the briefing, Ms. Burcham stated that the Airport Commission would only consider a maximum extension for 5 years. This length of time is what I anticipate a lease with Meadowbrook will be.

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A point Ms. Burcham made regarding a RFP for any new operators of the golf course would absolutely require a multi-year lease. If Meadowbrook did not get the lease extended they would take their equipment (which is substantial), personnel, and any other marbles and go home. Another operator then would incur substantial investment cost to bring in THEIR equipment, hire personnel, etc., making only a long term lease financially feasible for a new operator.

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Councilman Court Rosen remembered my suggestion that he get the feasibility study performed back in 2002-2003 to review before the August 4th Countryside briefing. All members of Council asked to get a copy. You remember, the one performed by The Lawrence Group (one page posted below). Hopefully, this will include the detailed drawings of the various options that were supplied as well. I still have them minus a couple that were taken by someone at one of our meetings.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

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At this point the September 2nd joint meeting with the Airport Commission as well as the briefing on the morning of August 4th are very important.

Council Briefing On Countryside Scheduled For August 4th

At the first Roanoke City Council Meeting Monday with new members of Council, Mayor Bowers directed an inquiry to the City Manager as to the status of the Countryside property. The inquiry led to disclosure of a briefing to Council scheduled for August 4th at about 10:00 AM following a meeting with the Roanoke City School Board at 9:00 AM at Addison. It will be held in the EOC room (basement) in the Municipal Building and is open to the public. Ms. Burcham advised that it will be about an hour and one half as many aspects along with immediate action issues need to be conveyed. Not the least of which is the continuation of golf course operations by "somebody" or to continue with Meadowbrook the current operators. The lease with Meadowbrook ends November 1st. Also, the 40 year lease of the Airport owned property (clear zone) where fairways reside terminates at the end of October. The Airport Authority will need to allow for continuation of the lease. If you recall the Director of the Airport informed the previous owners of Countryside (Meadowbrook who now operates it) that the Airport Commission would NOT renew the 40 year lease. At that time non renewal of the lease was used to pressure the sale of the golf course to the city. I would wager that the lease with the CITY will be renewed by the the Airport Commission.

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Anyone interested in observing the briefing can attend on August 4th. Also visit Councilman Dave Trinkle's blog and his post concerning Countryside. I had a hard time following his thoughts so let us help him understand the "vision".

Business Leadership Fund PAC

The Business Leadership Fund Political Action Committee is the political lobby for the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. On it's website are various plans - one of which is for Countryside indexed under "Quality of Life". CLICK HERE!

From the PAC's website:

"There's an old saying that if you're in business, you're in politics. As a taxpayer and employer, you know that local government philosophy and policy represent a significant cost to you and your customers. Decisions made in local government affect your business. Shouldn't you have a say in the process?

Finding pro-business candidates and helping them win election to local office is the best way to protect your livelihood and your investment."

CLICK HERE for more on this PAC.

Why am I bothering to post the obvious?

Answer: The Roanoke Times DataSphere (Matt Chittum) has made it a point to question where the thousands of dollars for the "Joe Smith" ad came from and just who are the Citizens for Sensible Decisions (CSD). "Who gave it? How much? What precisely did it buy?"

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This titillating topic of sinister political scandal will end with a disappointing fizzle. "Joe Smith" is Wishneff. Wishneff = CSD. Money came from Wishneff, THE END.

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The real funny part is Matt asking "What precisely did it buy?" Hey, maybe it bought re-erection of Victory Stadium? CLICK HERE for registration of Citizens For Sensible Stadium Decisions.

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Matt, how about asking what "precisely" did the thousands of dollars from the Business Leadership Fund PAC "buy"?

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.

Rich Cranwell Speaks to the Countryside Property

I believe the City should maintain Countryside as a municipal golf course--for reasons due to planning, and prioritization of this City's resources. I also believe that, should the City pursue development again, that the citizens need to be included in the process.

Thus far, the development proposals have been unsatisfactory to either the citizens, our City council, our City management, or some combination of these players. The last round of proposals were rejected. No city should develop an area for development's sake and since there is no plan, and attempts to secure proposals have been widely unsuccessful, the City should leave the land undeveloped for the immediate future.

In terms of our priorities, the City collects roughly $17,500 a year from this golf course. This certainly is not much revenue, but it is still a profit. Our City needs to turn its attention to more immediate areas, including our City Market Building--which lost $120,000 in 2007. I believe our energies and resources are better spent refurbishing the market building and finding a way for it to make a profit.

I believe it is worthwhile to look into some limited projects for parts of Countryside. It would seem beneficial to look at possibilities for some municipal soccer and sports courses to increase the space available for our children all over the city to use.

Any future proposals, and any investigations of possibilities for soccer fields, etc. I believe, require citizen input. The citizens, council, and City management need to work together on this and I would not make a decision about development without input from all three of these sources.

Councilman Fitzpatrick's Thoughts on the Countryside Property

"I am happy to respond and appreciate the opportunity to let you and your neighborhood know my thoughts. As you know, the city got interested in the land when we found it was for sale as we have so little land left in the city. One of the largest issues facing us is the fact that as an Independent city, we have so few ways to find revenue to pay for citizen services compared to cities like us in the other 49 states.

Virginia is the only state that has separate local governments where we do not have joint services mandated by state statute. That means that our costs are higher in so many ways than they would be if we were part of the normal city/county structure found in the other states. If we were like Charlotte or Greensboro, once the population density of an area gets to a certain level, that area is automatically annexed into those city's boundaries. That leads to new sources of revenue, new land for growth and a positive way to move that community ahead. There is a very good balance that comes with that kind of policy. The General Assembly of Virginia has so far chosen not to deal with this central issue. If it does not change, taxes for our citizens in the city will eventually have to rise to unfair rates for our citizens because we will have no new options for growth with no land to develop. That is the real reason Council got so interested in the availability of Countryside as we see this coming and no state changes that will help us out of a very tough financial situation in the making.

Since we have so little land, City Council wants to make sure we develop the acreage we have left with good, solid, planned development that can add to the value of any current neighborhoods( like Countryside) in any of the very few areas where we can grow and increase our tax base accordingly as we try to provide the services all citizens need. With the highest per capita age of residents in Virginia we are not in an enviable position and see our annual costs for public safety and EMS along with many other services going up and up with no long term way to find any solution.

The land at Countryside is a valuable asset to Roanoke and we do not want to see any project that would devalue current property or be developed in a way that is not good for the city or you and your neighbors. What we may have to see, however is some kind of effort to use that land wisely. My background is in Economic Development and I have worked on every kind of project you can imagine and to me, land is the basic value of a city and we all have an obligation to manage its development so it is done well. As a person with years in the field of economic development I expected a lot when we asked for a proposed plan for Countryside. At the time it was announced, I know of no one who liked it including me. It was not what we need knowing the potential of your area and its vitality to Roanoke. It clearly did not take into consideration many of the issues that your group brought to the table.

I have not taken a position at this time on Countryside as there is no active plan on the table. I know there are many who want to keep the golf course open and if someone comes up with a plan that would make improvements so it would be a quality course, and can show us it will make a good investment of taxpayers money, I have no problem supporting the concept. Just as I did on the other plan process, I would support as much communication as we can allow when dealing with a private sector developer and as many meetings as necessary with residents of the area. One thing I know about is that the best developers in the country, will run if their names get used to quickly and publicity is made public before financing and contacts with involved parties can take place. The other thing that is most clear is that any plan has to be more detailed and public than that by any private land owner because, we (the city) as the owners, will not do something that will adversely affect the area. If this had been bought by a private owner, there would be very little we could to to affect development as long as they followed the city's comprehensive plan. It is a good thing that we purchased the property as that will always protect you and your neighbors interest's more thoroughly.

No one on Council wants to see Countryside changed so much that it is only a commercially developed area. That is not what is best for Roanoke or your neighborhood. What is needed is some kind of plan done with the residents involvement, both parties being realistic about accepting some change and seeing what commitments can be made by the city with funding it gets from the right kind of new development.

I drive by the new Biomed area each day on my way to work and it is amazing to see what is happening there. It will be a great job producer, one that we have needed for a very long time and with it will come the need for more housing, condos, retail, entertainment and athletic venues. It is not what it used to be, it is not really nor will it likely be a neighborhood, but it will impact every neighborhood in the city and even the Valley. It could even be the genesis of some new ideas you and your neighbors may have about residential growth at Countryside.

I have never taken a position on a potential project until I understand all I can about it. I will do the same with Countryside when and if we have a plan to consider. Committing up front, politically or otherwise, is not what we need in our leadership today. We need to have a valid, neighborhood sensitive, good for the city plan to review and so far, I see none in the pipeline.

What I will promise you, your neighbors and all citizens of Roanoke, is to do my best to make the best decisions I can based on the facts and what I think will be in the best interest of the citizens of the City of Roanoke whenever a proposal or project like this comes to our attention. That is what I have always done and it has worked well for me as I try to be fully informed before making decisions that affect the city, its future and most importantly, its citizens.

Since I was 10 years old Roanoke has been the thing in my life most important except family. My goal as a teenager with my first driver's license was to drive on every street in the city. I did that and it was amazing to see all the different parts of Roanoke and how this wonderful city fits together. My roots are in NW with my parents both growing up there so that was one of the areas of the city I knew early on. With annexation came an entirely new city and lots of new territory to learn!

The greatest honor one can have is to be elected to represent citizens. I take it unusually seriously as I am the oldest person on Council and remember so much of our history, both bad and good. It is a great place to live and work but we have some very large issues that will affect everyone in the city if we do not make good choices. As my dad told me before I left Roanoke to go to Ferrum Junior College, "there is something no one can take away from you but you can give it away in 30 seconds. That is your integrity." I live by that quote and always have and it has stood the test of time. I hope I can always do that until the day I am no longer here. The Judge was a very insightful person and taught me a lot that has made me a better person.

Thanks for the chance to respond to your request. Let me know whenever I can be of help to you or your neighbors. Bev"

Countryside Property Too Noisy ...

September 27, 1982, Roanoke City Council Minutes - Airport-Sale/Purchase of Property: The City Manager (Bern Ewert) submitted a written report advising that an Environmental Impact Assessment Report done in conjunction with planning for the Runway extension identified areas with high noise impact and encouraged the City to apply for a grant to acquire properties affected by a certain level of noise. Funds have been made available for land acquisition. The City Manager recommended purchase of 14 individual homes and Builders Investment Group (then the owners of Countryside). The total consideration offered or expended shall not exceed $562,500 without further authorization of Council. CLICK ON THE MAP TO ENLARGE.

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From the minutes of the September 20th, 2006, Roanoke Regional Airport Commission Meeting: There was discussion among the members regarding the Countryside Golf Course property and the City of Roanoke’s recent one year renewal of its lease. It was suggested that the Commission go on record advising the City of Roanoke that any residential projects planned for that area include sound proofing. Ms. Shuck indicated that she would prepare a letter to the City for the Chairman’s signature.

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The Roanoke Times September 30th, 2006: The executive director for Roanoke Regional Airport, Jacqueline Shuck, has weighed in on city plans to develop the property currently occupied by Countryside Golf Course. Her concern: noise that will annoy new residents.

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She confirmed last week that she has reminded city officials that parts of the land lie in the airport's noise impact zone and any developer that builds homes there should strongly consider sound insulation.

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Shuck went public with her concerns after questions were raised at an airport commission meeting held Aug. 20. They come at a pivotal time for the city, which is considering a proposal to develop the 123-acre property southwest of the airport along Interstate 581.

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Because of its proximity to the airport, commission member Fuzzy Minnix wanted to make sure the city was aware that some of the land overlaps with areas the airport considers heavily affected by the buzz of airplanes flying overhead -- a move he said could help the airport avoid complaints from new residents moving into the area.

Councilman Lea's Position On Countryside

Here is word for word Councilman Sherman Lea's response to my request for his position on the Countryside Golf Course Property:
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"Before I comment directly on Countryside, let me state that during the campaign season all citizens will have to separate the two R’s. They are record and rhetoric. I stand on my record of nearly four years of committed service to all of the citizens of Roanoke. I have adamantly, clearly and without hesitation stood with and for the citizens of the Countryside neighborhood.

I recall the first neighborhood meeting with Councilman Brian Wishneff, at that time City Planner Brian Townsend and myself at which Councilman Wishneff and myself advised all those in attendance that we would do everything we could to see that members of the neighborhood be involved in the development process of Countryside. My position has not changed. I, again, stand on my record of supporting Countryside and my clear position that the 18-hole golf course be maintained and that representatives from the community be included on the committee to oversee any development that will take place in this neighborhood.

I have and continue to stress as a public servant and I emphasize the word “servant” that we as a governing body listen to citizens. I have not only visited with members of the community in their homes, but attended cookouts to let everyone know that my word is my bond. I want to continue to be that voice for the citizens on Roanoke City Council. Therefore, I am respectfully asking each and every citizen in the community for your support and vote in the upcoming Democratic Primary Election in February and then, hopefully, on to the May election where I would hope to be elected to serve you for four more years. I hope that through my work with the citizens during the last four years you feel that you can depend on me to speak out to voice your concerns. As many of you recall, I pushed through the Planning Commission and Council the renaming the golf course The Roy Stanley Golf Course. That effort was successful as all of the Planning Commission except one voted to approve the name change. I feel that there is a majority vote on Council to also support this change. However, I have placed that name change in abeyance because I advised the family I did not want that to become a “political football”. I still have expectations that this will take place within the next twelve to eighteen months.
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Again, I urge all citizens to just look at the record of where I stood on all issues during my tenure on Council. Please refer my to web page at ShermanLea.com, click on my announcement of candidacy speech and read it in its entirety. Also, I urge you to look at the multimedia reports that will share with you some of my thoughts on Countryside and other issues that affect you on a daily basis. Thank you for your support in the past and I appreciate and respectfully ask you for your continued support as I seek re-election to Roanoke City Council. As I said in my candidacy speech, this is your city and you have honored me the last four years to work on your behalf and I can sincerely say that I have done that to the best of my ability. Again, please support the re-election of Sherman P. Lea to Roanoke City Council."

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Thank you Councilman Lea for taking the time to respond.

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I will be asking all the candidates when they announce for Roanoke City Council or Mayor their position on the future of the Countryside Golf Course Property. Mr. Rich Cranwell will formally announce his candidacy on January 12th and will respond after his announcement. Any candidate who does not respond will be duly noted. Even a negative response will be better than no response at all. No response is as good as saying "I don't care about you".

Countryside Property - Loan Interest 1/2 Million and Rising

Your taxes are financing the mortgage on a golf course and the interest only is now at $500K on this bank loan passed off as part of a bond package at a public hearing on June 20, 2005:

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Art Museum....................................$3,700,000.00

Downtown West Parking Garage...... $2,600,000.00

Financial Application Integration........$2,600,000.00

Countryside Golf Course.............$3,975,000.00

TOTAL...........................................$12,875,000.00

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The Director of Finance recommended that Council adopt a resolution authorizing issuance of $12,875,000.00 in General Obligation Bonds under the Virginia Public Finance Act.

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It was passed as part of the General Obligation Bonds however after pressed Mr. Jesse Hall, Director of Finance for the City of Roanoke, confirmed it was an ordinary bank loan like my mortgage on my house except my interest rate is better then 6.25%. These debt obligation bonds are counted against outstanding debt when weighed by bond rating agencies. Roanoke City has a "AA" rating that allows the City to get a very good rate on debt obligations. The City's debt is reaching a precarious point and in summary it can issue little or no more debt obligations without risking their bond rating. However, that is another topic entirely.

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Why do I bring this up again? The last time I posted this amortization schedule development of the golf course was still on the table with "Foti Fantasy, LLC".

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Today's Roanoke Times Editorial blasts Councilman Wishneff for recommending that the parking garage be funded from the General Fund rather than through an increase in the downtown parking fees. Councilman Wishneff is concerned that the fragile downtown businesses will suffer as people avoid downtown to eat and shop - opting instead to eat and shop where there are no parking fees. He views parking garages as a part of downtown economic development that should come from the General Fund. The Roanoke Times Editor argues that this would take money from neighborhoods (like we see anything here) and economic development initiatives (like granting money to the private developer of the old Grand Piano building being transformed into apartments). BUT THEY CAN BORROW TO BUY A GOLF COURSE that they can't market to any "reputable" developer. So do you hear that "sucking sound" out of the coffers holding your charitable tax contributions?

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Before Roanoke City purchased the golf course they were receiving $54,0000 in real estate and property taxes from Meadowbrook, the former owners and now operators of Countryside Golf Course. Now the City only gets $17,500 a year - you do the math on - Interest Paid To Date - Loss of Real Estate Taxes - Paying Roanoke Regional Airport to Lease their Property and .... Countryside Neighbors being a pain in their arsses PRICELESS!

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How ironic that the Countryside Neighborhood pays real estate taxes so our City can destroy what makes our neighborhood special.

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Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 2:03 PM
Subject: Countryside Financing
Relative to the Countryside financing, we obtained a loan from a local bank [Carter Bank] for $3,975,000. Although it is a bank loan, it is commonly referred to as a bond. It was set up with a 15 year amortization, but can be paid in part or in whole at any time. We did this to provide flexibility because we are not sure how much of our investment in this property will be recovered from the potential future developer of the property, assuming that the current overall goal of development doesn't change. Thus, the loan might be repaid in part or in whole, depending on the circumstances.

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Ms. Garner, the City will receive $35,000 [$17,500 for 2007 and 2008] for leasing the property back to Meadowbrook for the 2006 "golf season". The City will also pay the Airport $4,731 annually for lease of the Airport owned property. Lastly, the City borrowed $3,975,000 at 6.25% for the purchase of the property. These are basically the facts surrounding the transaction, but I'm sure you know the City's intent for redeveloping the property is to develop additional market rate or higher housing and through perhaps a range of mixed uses arranged in a manner that will add to the tax base while protecting and enhancing the tax base already in place surrounding the site. Please contact me if you have additional questions. Sincerely,Jesse Hall, Director of Finance.

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End of 2008 the amortization schedule shows "interest only" at $704,000.00. The Principle plus Interest will approach $1 million.

Amortization Schedule:
Principal borrowed: $3975000.00 Annual Payments: 12 Total Payments: 180 Annual interest rate: 6.25%
Payment amount: $34296.91 Total Repaid: $6173445.19
Total Interest Paid: $2,173,445.19
Interest as percentage of Principal: 54.336%
TOTAL INTEREST PAID FIRST YEAR is over $240,000
By end of 2007 it will be approaching 1/2 million in Interest Only

Councilman Lea Announces - Mentions Countryside

Today at 1:00 PM Councilman Sherman Lea, Sr., announced he will be seeking the Democratic nomination for City Council again this election cycle.

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The announcement was well attended and included several of our neighbors. Councilman Lea spoke to the heart of the issues facing our City - the least of which for us is Countryside Golf Course. Yes, he actual mentioned Countryside as one of the upcoming major issues that will come before Council this year. Also mentioned was another hot button for me, "closed sessions". Whenever I see a "closed session" on the Council's agenda announcing a discussion in regard to the disposition of public property I think - are they talking about Countryside? Our neighborhood has been in limbo for 2 1/2 years. By the May elections it will be 3 years. No neighborhood should have to live in such anxiety wondering what is going on behind the "closed door". City Administration is in a holding pattern but we know they want to develop this property desperately. Mrs. Burcham has worked to get this property many years before we ever knew about it. Many years while we were moving in to be adjacent to this open green space we call our "Park".

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Several other points Councilman Lea mentioned were - televising the morning briefings (9:00 AM before the regular 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM Council sessions). Councilman Lea stated "we have too many closed sessions". There are presentations we the citizens never get to see because we are working. Councilman Lea spoke of moving the local elections to November so turnout would be more representative of the population. We have such poor turnout for local elections in May.

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Still another issue Councilman Lea mentioned was that the citizens of Roanoke City want to see is the ability to have referendums which requires legislative action in Richmond. This was scuttled by our current legislator at the urging of several on Council though publicly they voted in the affirmative to put in the legislative package to take to Richmond last year.

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Another interesting point was that the citizens of Charlottesville get to see the annual budget online before it is adopted. Charlottesville citizens are given the opportunity to submit how they want their taxes to be spent. All I can say to that is - IN OUR DREAMS would the citizens of Roanoke City have such input here. I think we have become so accustomed to not having access to our local government that we can't even phantom what something like Charlottesville offers it's citizens.

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Another topic was crime and Councilman Lea made it clear that the current pockets of crime will spread if not checked. He said the pockets of crime now prevalent will slowly reach out into other areas. Have we not read about the rash of break ins and home invasions recently. Just here in our neighborhood we have experienced two thefts - one of which was quite serious. We rarely had anything happening in our neighborhood prior to these two incidents.

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Councilman Lea also referenced a report presented to City Council yesterday on youth at risk which pulled no punches. Roanoke City youth at risk is higher than the National Average in regards to drug involvement and early sexual activity. The report went on to say that over the last 7 years no progress has been made and has actually slid back a few notches. Councilman Lea also supports elected school boards. He had been Chair of the School Board for 5 years and said "don't think the school board is not political -it is". If you get a chance listen to the web cast of yesterday's City Council Meeting and the presentation concerning our youth by CLICKING HERE. Then click on the Roanoke City Logo to the right. Councilman Lea's website is HERE. Under "News" and "Updates" is posted the July 17th Roanoke Times article regarding keeping Countryside an 18-hole golf course and naming it after Roy Stanley.

Council Meeting - Trane Property - Wasena Park

UPDATE: Listen to message from Roanoke City Planning Department - moving the stake(s) 10 feet:

The RED Line is Where The Three Stakes Converge

The BLUE Line had NO Stakes - Should Follow the Tree Line

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It was a very, very long Council Meeting that I attended Monday. I went not only to present the pictures of the Trane Property that was staked off but to also support the Wasena Park group wanting to save the beautiful trees that will be cut down along the banks of the Roanoke River. This is part of the flood project being conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. I went down to Wasena Park Sunday afternoon. I am SO jealous. The huge trees were showing their colors in all their splendor. The sun shown through them like a kaleidoscope. Take a moment to view the video. How I wish we had a park like that. It made me even more determined to hang onto this golf course. We all saw what the Countryside property means to the City and it did not include a "real" park. It was row upon row of houses, retail, and through traffic.

The "bench cut" to accommodate the flood reduction program at Wasena Park takes out Wiley Drive and will leave a permanent scar. It also prevents the disabled and our older citizens from reaching the Roanoke River picnic area. At least Council promised to revisit the aesthetics and the access when the engineers complete their work.
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After 2 hours I finally got to speak. Mayor Harris left so he did not hear the "public comments". I had pictures printed of the stakes that you see on the blog. I included a picture of the map above because pictures of stakes did not tell you anything unless you could put them together in an overview. Council did look at them and then they ended up with Ms. Burcham.

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In short I pointed out that this property line DOES interfere with play according to Meadowbrook management. That is unless Trane opens it's doors so golfers can play through. This conjures up scenes from the movie "Caddyshack" doesn't it?

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The bottom line is - according to Ms. Burcham, the City Manager, Meadowbrook had blessed the previously measured property lines. However, I explained that the stakes were far from what had been initially measured out according to Steve Smith, the golf course manager and golf pro, and would require the impossible task of reconfiguring number 3 fairway. I say impossible because there is barely anything left of number 3 now. I am very glad I went to the meeting because Ms. Burcham was unaware that the stakes had been planted and had not seen them.

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Here comes another "whoa Nellie" as Ms. Burcham was none too pleased that I brought it to the Council's attention before she became aware of it. I was very forgiving and said that I believed the stakes were just placed last week so it would be understandable that the City Administration may not have seen them yet. However, after the meeting when I approached her to reassure her that the stakes were recent I got the "ice box" and "no lookie in the eyes" shut out demeanor that has defined Ms. Burcham these many years. She gave me the pictures back without looking up .. "here you probably want these back ... we'll go out and take a look". I just hate that, just really hate that, smile, @:D

SEE WASENA PARK - Turn on your speakers:

Susan Hall's Mother Remembered

Susan Hall is the Treasurer of our Countryside Neighborhood Alliance. Susan's mother, Frances Lowe, passed away in June. Frances attended our neighborhood meetings and lived a few doors up from her daughter, Susan. On Friday, October 26th, Frances Lowe was remembered by the Roanoke Valley Democratic Women where former governor Mark Warner attended. Susan spoke of her mother's full and productive life. Below is Susan's remembrance from Friday.

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Mark Warner and Susan Hall
"Frances Lowe -- one of the hardest working Democrats you would ever want to meet, a self-made woman and an amazing woman. She passed away in June and I appreciate your wanting me to share some of her life with you.

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First for a little background -- both my parents were born in Roanoke, raised in Melrose Baptist Church and graduated from Jefferson High School. Mom attended National Business College and my dad, VPI.

They eloped while my dad was a student at VPI (VPI didn’t find out or he would have been kicked out of school in those days). My parents had to daughters, me and my little sister, Anne Michele.

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My mom’s working career began in 1946 at the VA Regional office in downtown Roanoke while my dad followed his dream to be a pilot of the biggest airplane -- which he found in the Air Force. When my dad was stationed at Hickam Field in Hawaii, mom and I followed. She went to work for the Navy of the Pacific where she taught sailors to type and take shorthand.

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My dad, being an Air Force pilot, meant we traveled from Massachusetts to Florida and Georgia to Texas and a lot of states in between. I changed schools 12 times in 1 year but both my parents were my “tutors” so school was never a problem. My sister arrived when I was 8 and a joy she was. We all played, laughed, and prayed together -- we were a storybook family.

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In August 1952, the Korean War was still going on, so we returned to Roanoke to stay a year while my dad was sent to Korea (I was 11 and my sister 3). Then tragedy struck -- on September 13, 1952 the telegram came telling my mom that my dad was missing in action in North Korea. To this day, there has been no further word from our government as to his whereabouts, but that is another story.

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Frances Lowe was now heart broken, a single mom with no income, and two children to feed. She went back to work, first at the VA Regional office, and with promotions, to the Air Force Reserve Center, and when it closed, to the VA Hospital in Salem and then was promoted to the Blue Ridge Parkway -- this added up to 19 ½ years with the government. You ask why she didn’t stay and get her full 20 years with a big pension. Well - She had also been working (on her own time) for a Legislative Chairman and was a part-time Lobbyist. When her bosses learned about her involvement in politics, they reminded her of the “Hatch Act” and told her she would not able to continue working in politics and keep her government job.

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My sister and I were grown by then. So Mom did what no one expected and quit her job, packed her bags, and accepted a job in Richmond as “State Director of Volunteers in Politics -- Committee on Political Education” for the VA State AFL-CIO and also became a Registered Lobbyist. This was in 1968. She was the first woman hired in this job. She was also appointed to the Board of the VA Citizens Consumer Council and became its Legislative Co-Chairman and was a member of the Political Women’s Caucus.

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She traveled this entire State alone implementing programs she had developed and teaching workshops on subjects such as “Importance of Legislation Affecting You and How to Get Involved” and Election Reform, Registration, and most importantly workshops on “get out the vote” and “fund raising.” In very close elections, she would set up “get out the vote” call centers and actually stay in that part of the State that needed help most to see that the vote got out. This was a time when women didn’t go to hotels alone or eat alone -- so through her travels around the State she had many stories to tell -- some very scary and some just funny.

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Mom was a Member and Elected Delegate, or Alternate,to all County, 6th District, and State Democratic Conventions beginning in 1969 and continuing for many years thereafter -- I can’t find her records after l976 but she did not retire from this state job until about 1985.

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The most fun and the longest hours were when she was actively working to elect COPE-endorsed candidates from the Courthouse to the White House. In 1968, her first campaign job was Hubert Humphrey for President and F.T. “Bingo” Stant for Congress. Next came Henry Howell for Governor and Andy Miller for Attorney General.

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The winner came when she worked State-wide to get Lynwood Holton for Governor, “Sarge” Reynolds for Lt. Governor, and Andrew Miller for Attorney General elected. What a celebration!!!

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Do you remember the elections of William B. Spong for the US Senate? William Fears & Daniel Byrd Jr. for State Senate? Jim Thompson & Ray Garland for the House of Delegates? Jimmy Carter for President? Chuck Robb for Governor? Chuck Robb for U.S. Senate? Doug Wilder for Governor? Jim Olin for US House? Just to name a few. She worked them all! She truly enjoyed her work and believed very deeply in what she did. She made many political friends locally as well as across the state and worked in many of their campaigns: including John Edwards, David Bowers, Chuck Woodrum, Victor Thomas, Bill Hopkins, Grainger McFarland, Dick Cranwell, Rick Boucher, and I know I’ve left hundreds of friends out and I apologize.

Mom was a member of the Roanoke Valley Women’s Democratic Committee.

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I think Mom’s happiest moment was when her Grandson became head of the Young Democrats at V.M.I.
When she semi-retired in 1985 she went to work for the Job Corps sending young people, who appeared to have no future, to school. She moved back to Roanoke but traveled all over Southwest VA meeting with these children and making their arrangements.

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But, Mom never really retired because she was active in her church where she continued to serve as a Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, and member of WMU (the womens mission group) and she was an active supporter of building a new church near Smith Mountain Lake called Community Church of the Brethern. She was a member of the Eastern Star, and active in a Book Club, Investment Club, Ladies Golf Association, and played Bridge at the Salem Senior Center every Monday.

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Frances Lowe -- she was my mom, my dad, my best friend, my confident, my advisor -- and the memories she has left behind are meant as a comfort for a lifetime."

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Susan receives a rose at left.