Saturday, April 11, 2015

Randolph County As A Developer

An e-mail from Alan E. Ferguson, President Northeast Randolph Property Owners:

"April 10, 2015

Hello Everyone,

Here's the latest in the megasite world.  This week, Randolph County formally took title to properties up in the "primary development area" (the northern portion of the megasite footprint by accepting and recording seven deeds).  According to the tax stamps on these deeds, the County spent about $2,963,000 of the approximate $4,186,000 it resolved to spend over our protests on February 2.

Since one of the reasons given on February 2 by the four commissioners who supported the purchase was that "we need to do something now because our time is running out", I cannot explain the passage of 67 days between then and now, nor why the County still has not spent all of the money which Chairman Frye then stated that the County needed to immediately spend.

The tax stamps also reveal that the County paid a premium of approximately $114,500 more to the Piedmont Triad Partnership than the PTP paid to the property owners who sold their titles to the PTP.  Yes, this means that someone made about $114,500 this week in County funds.  I haven't seen the settlement statements yet, but these are public business and by law should be available to us soon.  We will see.

Do not lose heart from any of this.  This project still has a very long way to go before it is a "done deal".  

In the meantime, our signs are very important, and we need to get more of them out, particularly up toward Greensboro.  Please call me if you can put any out and I will get them to you.  In addition, we have fliers if you would like to distribute these in any way, including electronically.  We need to continue to raise our voices, and let them know that Big does not always win.

Alan E. Ferguson
President Northeast Randolph Property Owners"
So the Piedmont Triad Partnership marked the price up $114,500.... Interestingly enough, someone very, very, very high ranking in Greensboro City government told me just weeks ago that no one was making any money off of this megasite. I didn't believe her then and I don't believe her now.