Lee’s Comments on the Airport

This is an unpaid political ad from Lee McWhorter. It should say “authorized by the campaign for Lee McWhorter” on it. Note that this blog now says “authorized by the campaign for common sense: Richmond in District 1″ at the bottom of the blog menu on the right. The Blog isn’t “paid for” by anybody. Blogs are free.

Alice,

You can post this where ever you want. It is about the airfield and grants. As well as an answer for any/all concerned blog readers about why as the “CHAIRMAN” I would vote to keep the airfield open with taxpayer dollars.

So if you do not care about spending taxpayer bucks on a strip of land with a runway you can just quit reading.

For the rest of you…..

No, not all of the grants would have to be repaid if the airfield were to close I was wrong about that.

Now I said “NOT ALL OF THE GRANTS” but some {maybe most} have a very strong string attached that could under certain circumstanses be jerked back by the grantors, a string that usually does not eaisly break.

The note on this string says that, in order to get the grant in the first place, the airfield must be open with an official manager or whatever in charge and on site. With this string attached I have to call the field an “AIRPORT” not just an unattended airstrip of land that I was calling an “airfield”.

Definations are important…so..

AIRFIELD…noun-a level area, usually equipped with hard-surfaced runways, on which airplanes take off and land.
Also….
1.The area of fields and runways where aircraft can take off and land.
2.An airport.

AIRSTRIP…1.a small landing field having only one runway.
2.a temporary or auxiliary aircraft runway.
3.See landing strip.
landing strip
n. An aircraft runway without airport facilities. Also called airstrip.

AIRPORT…1.a tract of land or water with facilities for the landing, takeoff, shelter, supply, and repair of aircraft, esp. one used for receiving or discharging passengers and cargo at regularly scheduled times.
2.Nautical. a porthole designed to be opened to the outside air.
and..
1.A tract of leveled land where aircraft can take off and land, usually equipped with hard-surfaced landing strips, a control tower, hangars, aircraft maintenance and refueling facilities, and accommodations for passengers and cargo.
2.Such an installation in which the landing area is on water.

Now, with that over, any one of reasonable intelligence should be able to figure out what we started with and what we have now.

A few facts are that…

1.The airfield was never private like I said it was when it started.

2.Although it began with a handshake, {in other times that was garrantee enough for most folk}, I guess I could call that a “wink and a nod” and not be out of bounds. Between the land owners and the town and county and ground work on an “IDEA” or a “WISH” or a “DESIRE” for an airport in the county began.

I suppose [hope and pray] that like all civic minded folk, the intentions of all involved were to make PAGE COUNTY VIRGINIA a better place to live. That’s why I’m running for chairman, I’d like to be on the record as stating that I am not running against any one or anything, rather I am running to make PAGE COUNTY VIRGINIA A BETTER PLACE to live, recreate, procreate, visit, [possibly] work, or other wise enjoy your stay or life here, making you also a better person for your time spent here .

3.It next became jointly owned by the town of Luray and the county of Page with public administration by the luray caverans corp, after the land holders gave up their vested interest in ownership and the new owners {the town and couny} or the taxpayers became the new owners of the whole enchilata

The caverns removed themselves I believe, although I do not know for sure, and the Airport Commission was created and began to take over day to day operations and any expansion activity.

As we know with “project clover” full disclosure to the rabble is not always the case in “PAGE COUNTY VIRGINIA” at times it is more expedient for the board to create an “authority” or a “commission” that does their bidding unobserved, {please, you all, note that I did not say in “secret”} usually meeting at times when public or taxpayers are working and therefore cannot attend.

This is not a page county invention it has been going on in the “DEMOCRATIC SOUTHERN BIBLE BELT” at least, maybe the tatic is used in other place as well, for as long as I can remember being interested in politics. Which I consider to be most of my 64 years in this life.

Now over the the 30 or so years that I have been here in PAGE COUNTY VIRGINIA this has been going on.

It just may be high time to stop it and get transparent and take the lumps and or punches that the taxpayers give the board just to get information about what in the world is going on.

Over the past 30 years the commission has entered into numerous enhancement ventures, with grants from the FAA, that were intended to expand the airfield into and airport {see definitions to under stand the differences}.

One of those grants that I remember well, one of the larger ones {10 million}, would have to be returned/repaid if the airport were not to remain in a “staffed and always open daily status” there were other similarily worded grants that we as taxpayers have signed on to through the authority granted to the commission from the town and county administrations over the years.

Please understand that you have to speak up if you do not like the way your taxdollars are being spent.

Not only do you have to speak up, you also have to assure yourself that the governors understand you after you spoke up. Of course you know about the syndrome of in one ear and out the other do you not???

Rest assured I undersstand language and vernacular or at least I know how to find out what the meaning of something that interests me is in any number of languages.

So you can trust that I now know that we will indeed have to repay some of the larger grants if we fail to follow the rules, because we [you and I] are the owners and responsible parties of the airport, and I know or at least believe that most of the taxpayers in PAGE COUNTY VIRGINIA {as owners}will not want to repay 20 million or more dollars back to the FAA.

For god sakes do the math we are about 100 million dollars in debt!!!! A small county that flys under the radar and by the seat of its pants with only 24,000 +/- residents how have we done this to ourselves most importantly WHY???

I’m not sure but I think/trust that we can still turn this boat around. To survive the next few years I implore you all as taxpayers to involve yourselves now more that ever and cause the next board to become better than the last.

MAKE GOOD MEN AND A WOMAN {MAYBE 2}, BETTER MEN AND A WOMAN [OR 2] you as citizens can do this if you ONLY try.

LEE NOV3.

Alice’s comment: Other political candidates are also welcome to post their messages here. So are existing officeholders, and Planning Commission members, and EDA members, and anybody else who wants to say something to the public. Just make a note on your comment that you’d like to have your own space, and I’ll post it. The only caveat is that I’m not interested in hearing any complaints about what the comments are. And I definitely don’t want to hear all those complaints that say, “make them sign their name.” Political discourse, discussion, and information must be open and free if there is any democracy here at all, and there can not be retaliation for diverse viewpoints.

 

Price was no object, Cost was no concern

There are two data points today sent to me about the Hudson project. First, there is an email sent to the Board of Supervisors, titled “Concerned Citizens Request to the Board.” That was sent on July 10, by Susan Guest. Second, Jim Turner I (as opposed to Cabin Jim), has issued a Press Release, sent to WHSV and the Page News, and possibly others. He has asked, in formal written letters, for each candidate running for the Board of Supervisors to attend a meeting on Friday, July 17, at 6 p.m. at the Shenandoah Community Center, for the purpose of publicly showing whether they do or do not support the citizens’ petition regarding the Hudson Farm purchase. When I am elected as your representative in District 1, I will continue to make public all information regarding activities of the Board. I will also do everything I can to prevent closed sessions that are conducted inappropriately.

Letter from Susan Guest to the Board of Supervisors: (reprinted with permission)
Since no documentation supports the EDA’s ability to pay for the $11.8MM Hudson project other than the Board’s three page resolution supporting the project, how did the Board satisfy itself of the EDA’s ability to pay for this project absent any documentation, in order to unanimously sign this document? My request is that the Board sign nondisclosure agreements in order to review with the EDA all prospective tenants’ business plans, which (we’ve been told) cannot be disclosed without this nondisclosure agreement. My suggestion (read: dire warning) is that it is not adequate to say the words ‘all is well’ or ‘deals are imminent’ for too much longer. The first payment is due to Ms. Hudson in less than six months. And I have no idea regarding the terms of repayment of the presumed USDA loan…but it, too, must be repaid, and accounted for in somebody’s budget. Which I’m told does not exist.

My other request is that the Board request a formal update from Premier Technical Services including a review of their business plan and timeline for construction and staffing and revenue projections and where the money is expected to come from for their 15 acre, 96 job data center. Lenders will not lend absent a viable business plan which shows ability to repay. This is the document which presumably is being shopped on the street for funding, so it should be very well rehearsed and easy to present to the Board. I’m sure it’s just an oversight that it has not been done before. (And it may have been done but ‘behind closed doors’ so that citizens have no idea of what is transpiring.)

The Board has gone to extraordinary measures to ensure PTS’s success. Therefore, it is obligatory that the Board assure themselves of PTS’s success…especially since it seems that the success of Project Clover has been hung on PTS’s success, as well.

I am offering, too, to undergo nondisclosure in order to provide the Board my views of these plans and ability to repay. (Yes, it is my former profession.) Because if you can’t use taxpayer money for these ventures, don’t you want to know what you are supporting, and how? Let me rephrase: my understanding is that you have been told that the taxes/leases/sale of land to prospective tenants will cover the cost of this deal. Don’t you want to know how, from whom, over what time frame (in order to meet the repayment schedule that does not appear to exist in anyone’s budget per my FOIA request) so as to meet the ‘moral obligation’ you have made with the Citizens of Page County: that they are not responsible for funding this deal?”

submitted by Susan Guest

Alice’s Note: As Susan points out, FOIA requests asking for the backup that supported the ability of the EDA to repay this loan consisted of nothing EXCEPT a resolution by the Board of Supervisors that they would pay. Be clear on that. The only money the Board has to repay it with is your tax dollars. The EDA is announcing, by responding in this manner to a FOIA request, that they have no backup documentation to suggest that they can pay it any other way.

I also submitted a FOIA request in June, in which I asked for the backup documentation that supported the purchase price. Specifically, I asked for the appraisals to which Tom LaFrance referred in a public meeting. I received the following letter signed by Lowell Baughan on July 1, 2009:

“Dear Mrs. Richmond: In response to your FOIA request dated June 20, 2009, asking for all written documentation which was used to set the price for the Hudson farm project and the comparative appraisals: there is no documentation.”

So by their own admission, there is no backup for the price, no comparative appraisals, and no backup for the ability to repay.

As taxpayers, is this good enough for you?

I can absolutely commit that, as your District 1 Representative, it will not be good enough for me.

 

Weekender weighs in

A guest Blog from “the other Jim Turner”

Page County stakeholders -

My wife and I are weekenders in Page County, our place is in Hawksbill Pines near Stanley. Before I go much further, I need to clarify that while I go by the name Jim Turner, I am not related to the fellow that is very active in community politics and is a frequent letter to the editor writer – I’ve met that Jim, and appreciate his activism, but as a part-time resident I haven’t gotten involved as avidly as he.

I do keep a blog, however, about our house out there, and about the Page County lifestyle we’ve grown to enjoy so much. Since the unemployment rate peaked earlier this year (let’s hope the current trend of improvement holds), I’ve been doing a little research and analysis on the economy in Page County (blog link to posts on this topic: http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/search/label/Page%20County%20Economy).

I agree with the concept that there are legitimate questions that still need to be answered about Project Clover, and overall it seems to me that more transparency about the land purchase is a fundamental requirement. The link above (like all blogs, this will show the newest post first, so if you are interested you might check back a few posts) will outline some of the questions I am looking for answers to…my next step is to download, read and review the 2008 Strategic Plan referenced in the EDA’s most recent one-pager in the PNC.

Learning about your efforts has been very interesting. Keep up the good work…accountability and transparency are the watchwords when facing challenges such as those Page County is dealing with.

Best,
Jim Turner
Alexandria, VA (and Stanley!)

 

In response to the EDA

On July 1, the Economic Development Authority posted a half page “explanation” in the Page News and Courier, of the Hudson Farm purchase. I (Alice) am running a “political ad” to respond to that explanation. As a candidate, I can’t send Letters to the Editor, so I have to pay for an ad to express my opinion. I could have asked someone else to post it for me, but I thought it was important enough that the citizens should know I am putting my name, and possibly basing my election, on this issue. The political ad should run today, on the Letters to the Editor page.

The ad refers readers to the main website, Page County Watch. I have posted backup information there now.

Please read the backup information and post your comments.

Alice

 

Now we know.

This is a comment from Susan Guest regarding the meeting tonight of the Board of Supervisors, in which Mr. Baughan will report on the progress of the Economic Development Authority. It refers to the invitation to speak at the work session:

Regarding the possibility of asking questions of Mr. Baughan, Susan says:

“I was assured in writing that the three page resolution and one page detailing ‘costs’ was all the documentation that existed in response to the following FOIA request:

FOIA request: “Please provide all written documentation which details ‘costs’ associated with turning the Hudson farm into an operating industrial park as well as all documents that demonstrate the County’s and/or Economic Development Authority’s ability to repay all financial obligations incurred in conjunction with ‘Project Clover.’

‘Costs’ are defined below. Documents in support of ‘ability to repay’ would include commitments on the part of third parties for grant funding, lease or other financial arrangements with tenants, and all other sources of funds anticipated to ensure the County’s and/or Economic Development Authority’s financial obligations concerning Project Clover are met. Please also provide all documents detailing contingency funding sources as might be required through ’stress test’ analysis. An example of ’stress test’ is provided in ‘Purchase Agreement’ when the sale of the land is presumed to satisfy any balance owed Ms. Hudson in the event of default. Please provide the documentation in support of the sale of the land being capable of satisfying any outstanding monies owed her – for example, recent real estate comps that support the ability to obtain $6.5MM from the sale of the land – as well as documentation as to next steps should sale of said land not satisfy any outstanding balance.”

Note: The response to this request consisted of a one page list of costs of the land, totalling $11.8M with the infrastructure buildout. PLUS, a 3-page resolution of the Board of Supervisors saying they would support the purchase.

This means that if I did not receive information in support of any of the above, that it does not exist. (In other words, a FOIA request must be answered legally, so if the documents were not provided, it is safe to assume they do not exist.) I suppose the only surprise is the $11.8MM pricetag but there’s no need to worry about payment because the Board supports the EDA’s project and the Board has been repeatedly told that taxpayer funds will not be used to pay for the project. (This was meant to be tongue- in- cheek sarcasm, in case it isn’t clear. It should be made clear that just because the Board was told no taxpayer money would be used, can not make it so. If there is no source of commercial funding, THEN taxpayer money WILL be used. )

Now you’ve been told what is good for Page County and how it will be achieved so don’t burden yourself with details or worry. You’ve also been told that you are ‘unpatriotic’ if you do not support the plan – right out of Goebbel’s (whoops ) playbook! Wands will be waved to help you sleep well, and Authorities and Supervisors Will Make It So. Heckuvajob, Brownie!! But no one could have anticipated…we underestimated, we didn’t know…y’know, the kinda stuff that lands the commoner in jail…but lets Authorities walk with a shrug toward apology…

It’s too painful for me to see eloquently delivered, authoritarian ’shut ups’ that silence questions and put down the questioner so that they stop asking…I have a lot of experience in this arena and am sad to bear witness to it again and so won’t.

There’s a person or two who don’t like Kool Aide in every crowd. Pay close attention to what happens to them on their journey to Truth.

Susan Guest

Alice’s comment: It is not enough to be told something is so. If there are no snow clouds, there will be no snow. If there is no commercial project, there will be no money to pay for this venture, and YOU, the taxpayer, will be left holding the bag. When it happens, you will hear the Board say, “oh, gee, we could not have anticipated.” THAT is bull crap. It is that simple. Mr. Baughan, I have no more questions for you. The information has been delivered. It was ZILCH.

 

Board Lets People Ask Questions

The following comment was posted by Susan Guest (resident of District 3):

There is a Board meeting coming up this Tuesday (July 7) at the Luray Courthouse at 7 p.m. with Mr. Baughn and Dr. Cardman AND Mark Belton presenting. My district representative (J D Cave) intends to invite public comment after each presentation. Here is the agenda:

Agenda
Page County Board of Supervisors
Work Session
July 7, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.
Board of Supervisors Room

Call to Order

Presentation on the Transient Occupancy Tax Karen Riddle

Report from the Economic Development Authority Lowell Baughan

Airport Property Acquisition Powell Markowitz

Report from the Public Works Department Henry Mikus

Rezoning Request – Century Luray Kevin Henry

Resolution Supporting the Hub Zone Program Dr. Tom Cardman

School Board Budget Categorization Mark Belton

Special Entertainment Permit – Shenandoah Speedway Mark Belton

County Office Building Discussion Mark Belton
Henry Mikus

Vehicle Use Policy Committee Update Supervisors Cave/Sours

Tax on Recreational Vehicles Committee Update Supervisors Cave/Sours

Adjournd

 

Rick Lights the First Match

This came in as a Comment from Rick Buxton. I thought it made a good starting point for our next conversations. Any thoughts? As a candidate for District 1 Supervisor, I’d like to address how I got to be a candidate, how I think I match up to Rick’s criteria, and why I am offering to serve Page County. But before I do that, how about some more comments and additional insight on this set of qualifications? We’ll keep this thread going for a while.

Alice

From Rick Buxton:

Alice, I think I have a good idea of where we are now, some idea of how we got here, and a much better view of the direction I would like to see the county go. I don’t think the current BOS is capable of going where I want to see the county go. I see improvement coming through the careful replacement of Board positions as they come up.

In order for the citizens to make good decisions, they need to be informed with facts. Some of the facts I would like to see presented in advance of any Board member selection is individual qualifications. These could be in separate categories such as educational background, prior civic service, and factors that reflect maturity as well as a variety of morals and ethics.

Beliefs and vision are important as well. I would like to know if someone sees the future of flying cars as the reason to support co-signing for airport improvements.

An important factor is one’s commitment to take whatever steps are necessary to do the job well. It is a crime to me that the Board members are often in the position of not having time, or are not willing to make time, to seek multiple opinions or suggestions. Instead, they must take the word of a few “enlightened” individuals. I want someone who is willing to put an issue on hold and spend evenings calling and asking for comments. Or setting up meetings and asking District members what they think before they decide.

I would like to know how one plans to handle this decision-making process before placing my vote. Giving the job it’s moneys’ worth is not good enough. I want someone who is not working for the money or prestige, but desires to do the job well as the most important factor. Don’t think of, “they don’t pay enough”. I want someone who is driven to do the job well regardless. We already have a record of how the current Board members handle this issue.

Another concern is how do you get this information out to the voters? Perhaps it is too early to put out information now, but some plan has to be established to do so. It must be presented in an honest way, without being spun by the media. I don’t have the experience to know how. I do know that once there are a couple of Board members who see things the right way, they can use their positions to help lever like- minded people when they come up for future elections. The first couple of seats will be the most difficult and the most important.

Okay, I have thrown my gallon of gas on the fire!

Rick
_________________________________________________________

Who else wants to throw something on the flame?

 

When the time for talking is over . . .

Let’s see. I was babbling along, talking about all these Freedom of Information Act requests. I was waiting for some answers. I was wondering some things about those contracts, which you can download over on the right side of this screen.

And then everything went quiet. People stopped commenting.

Maybe the time for talking is over.

Maybe we’ve heard enough.

Maybe we have no more questions, because we’ve figured out the answers.

Now the question is: What action shall we choose to take?

 

What Color is Your Attitude?

This is a story about Attitude. The Attitude we are talking about today is the one between the local government and its people. The local government can take an attitude that “we are the governing body, and we will decide what is best for you.” Or, it can take an attitude that “we are your representatives. How may we serve you?”

In the last post, we talked about how a bad Attitude toward a customer is bad for business. Today, we’ll talk about how a bad Attitude toward the citizens is bad for government. Here are examples of two governments. These are true stories, but the names and dates are disguised.

Government #1. We’ll call this the Government of Pastry-Eaters. This story happened a long time ago, long before any of the current Pastry Eaters were “in power.” But it did happen. It’s a true story.

In this county, a group of high school children, about 10 of them, from 9th grade on up, were learning about how government works. They had noticed that their high school didn’t seem to be as competitive as the high schools in counties around them. They got the idea, based on what they had learned in school about how government works, that they should go to their Board of Supervisors and submit a request for a new high school. They talked to their teachers and their principal, and they worked very hard to write their request. After all their hard work, they went together, before the Board to make their proposal. Shaking with anxiety, they submitted their request and waited for the answer, to see how local government works.

The Board laughed. “Pastry-Eaters are busy people,” the Board chairman said. “We don’t have time to listen to requests from children.” That day, the children learned not to bother important people or speak up to authority. It was many years before a new high school was built in that land.

The Attitude of Government #1 was that they were the “deciders.” What the people wanted was not relevant to their decisions.

Government #2. We’ll call them the TV Personalities. This story is also true, and it also happened a long time ago. But in a different county. In this county, the citizens were very involved in their government. They were so involved that every meeting of the county Board was on television. The people of the county wanted to make sure nothing happened behind closed doors or in secret session.

In this county, a group of high school children, about 10 of them, from 9th grade on up, were learning how government works. They had noticed that the shop owners were chasing them away when they tried to skate board. They got the idea, based on what they had learned in school about how government works, that they should go to their Board of Supervisors and submit a request for a skate park. They talked to their teachers and their principal, and they worked very hard to write their request. After all their hard work, they went together, before the Board to make their proposal. Shaking with anxiety, they submitted their request and waited for the answer, to see how local government works.

This Board was on television. The Board members knew the parents of these children were watching. The Board members invited the children to be on the advisory team, to help plan the new skate park. The skate park was five years in the making, but those children helped plan it, and they learned that local government works for them. That day, the children learned that they can make a difference in their world, and they can be part of change.

Attitude. It matters. Which of those two governments do we want in Page County? Even if we learned as children that it is not up to us to challenge authority, not up to us to make proposals for change, and not up to us to bring issues to the attention of our representatives . . . even if we think “THEY” won’t hear us . . . we can unlearn those lessons as adults. We elect our representatives. We know their phone numbers. We can make our voices heard.

I read in the Page News and Courier – my favorite newspaper – that the Economic Development Authority is going to publish some questions and answers.

Send your questions! tcardman@pagecounty.virginia.gov
(Be sure to copy the Page News editor@pagenewspaper.com
and me Research@PageCountyWatch.org)

Alice

 

What Makes Small Business Work

This letter arrived in my email today. I have removed the name of the restaurant. The restaurant owner knows who he or she is. In a community that was not so small, competition would allow “restaurant reviews” where this type of information would be aired easily. A restaurant where something like this happened, would know that it threatened business. Here, this can happen because competition is not intense.

Someone reading this will know where this happened. Hopefully, the owner of this restaurant will get the point. Perhaps he or she will look for this woman and apologize. We can only hope. .

LETTER SENT TO PAGE COUNTY WATCH:
Recently my family and I dined at a restaurant in PAGE COUNTY. I must say, I don’t think in all of my 23 years I have ever endured a worse meal. It wasn’t just the food that wasn’t up to par, actually the food was the least of my worries. For anyone who is not aware of my situation, I will shed some light. My son was diagnosed with autism in March of 2008, which at the time seemed to be the end of the world to me. Since being diagnosed he has made great strides to recovery. Apparently to ignorant, uneducated people he is still just a bad kid with horrible parents.

At the age of three my son can not use a spoon or a fork. To most parents of an autistic child, this would not be top priority, but to the staff of THIS RESTAURANT it was the end of the world when there was food on the floor.  As soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted rudely. We then asked to be seated in a separate area because Colton was crying very much. Other than us, there was only one table of people and we still decided it would be best to sit as far away from them as possible. Our waitress was the poorest excuse for help, and at one point refused to bring us ice cream to possibly calm him down. After several eye rolls and smart remarks she gave in and brought us a bowl. We had to ask three or four times for two high chairs, because I also have a two year old. We then received only one chair, and again had to ask for another. After five minutes of waiting we got our second high chair. Our waitress then proceeded to walk to the family at the other table, and point at my son. I’m assuming she took it upon herself to have a conversation about my autistic child’s “unruly behavior”. I even decided it would be best to cut the meal short, so we asked for boxes. Our waitress brought the boxes to the table, threw them down, and said “here’s your boxes.” As we were loading the kids into the car, our waitress walked outside..handed us our tip back and said “here you can keep this, its not enough to make up for the mess back there.” I honestly have never felt more insulted. I simply bit my tongue on the ride home, and as soon as I walked through the door I picked up the phone. I explained to the owner that my family was very hurt by the events that had happen and we would not be dining there again. The only thing he could offer was an “I’m sorry you felt offended” and then hung up the phone on me. Everyone in our community knows us and adores Colton. I’m begging with everyone…BOYCOTT THIS RESTAURANT!! Who wants to dine with stuck up people who have nothing better to do than pass judgement on a mentally disabled child? Certainly not me. I have emailed this letter to everyone! I’m hoping word gets out to Alice Richmond and she can do something to help our fight!
                                                                                             Britni Byrd, Mother of Colton Dinges                                      Stanley, Virginia

I am offended by behavior like this. I know Page County is offended, too. It’s best to blow the lid off it. That’s what stops it. Restaurant owner, if you have trouble finding Britni to apologize, just let me know.

Alice