Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Visit the Park to Nowhere

Readers will remember the controversy that arose when the Madison County Board of Supervisors voted to build a park up in Sulphur Springs. The park will cost over $1.5 million and will be financed by the sale of bonds. The Board waxed eloquently over how this would be a benefit to the taxpayers of Madison County and was a chance to do something for the more rural areas. JJ decided to give you a full picture, literally, of the park.

Pete Perry and I took a ride up to the site of the proposed park Monday. Its one thing for you to find the park on a map, its another to actually travel to the site to see how isolated it really is. Since most of you can't make that little journey, we did it for you, all on camera. Yup. You get to travel with us and see for yourself how rural this little park is going to be. Didn't tell you this was coming when they raised the taxes, did they?



We started rolling the tape as we left Canton on Highway 16. Took us 20 minutes to get there. If you are pressed for time, start the video on 20:00 and see for yourself. We are on highway 17 at that point in the video. JJ also filed a public records request for the invoices associated with the project. They are posted below. Some of the fees are:

Warnock & Associates: $108,741
JLT Realty: $18,370 (Includes acquisition of property)
Butler Snow (Bond counsel fees): $28,724
Government Consultants (Financial Adviser Fee): $10,500
Mike Espy (Issuer counsel fee): $8,750
Spence Flatguard: $1,150



Park is kind of waaaaaaay, out there, isn't it?

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Almost a hundred and ten thousand dollars to Rudy Warnock. Say it ain't so. Ten will wind up back under Kroger-Boy's mattress.

Anonymous said...

Video is private. Won't let me see it.

Kingfish said...

Fixed. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

Who owned the land? Who sold the timber? Any officials own land nearby? All questions worth investigating if anyone has the time, given the inclinations of Madison County's elected officials.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah...do follow the money

Anonymous said...

are you telling me that project is still a "go"? Good reporting. I think everybody had forgotten about this. Except Rudy of course.

Anonymous said...

When is that Guardian of Democracy, America's Watchdog, the Clarion Ledger, going to report on this? What about the TV news? Someone needs to tell the 60 year olds about this, so they can go all Andy Rooney on somebody's ass.

Anonymous said...

Leake County folks gonna love John Bell for this.

Anonymous said...

JLT, Inc. (James L. Turner, whoever he is) was administratively dissolved by the Secretary of State in 2005. Technically, we paid $18K+ to a corporation that doesn't exist.

Canton Police Department said...

CITIZENS ARREST! CITIZENS ARREST! YOU GUYS BLEW RIGHT THRU A STOP SIGN IN CANTON.

Anonymous said...

The name associated with JLT Realty appears to be
James O. Turner (II) rather than James L. Turner.
Officer Name Corp Name
James O Turner II JLT Realty, Inc.

The Mississippi SOS does show that JLT Realty Inc was dissolved in 2005. An additional search at the Mississippi Real Estate Commission website for a licensee with the name James Oliver Turner II returns the following (apparently no active Mississippi Real Estate license in that name):

TURNER II - CLOSED, JAMES OLIVER Broker/Salesperson Closed GREENWOOD

The invoice used by JLT Realty inc does show "Jim, Turner, Authorized Acquisitions Agent for Madison County"

Anonymous said...

I HOPE JOHNNY BELL ENJOYS THE TIME HE HAS LEFT. WHAT WILL RUDY DO WHEN BAG BOY GETS DEFEATED? HOW DO YOU LIKE BAG BOYS SANTA CLAUSE BEARD?? HE WILL HAVE TO PLAY SANTA WHEN HE LOSES THE SUPERVISOR PAY. I WONDER IF HE WILL GET 23% OF THE VOTE???

Anonymous said...

We need to vote for an entirely new board. There is no chance to vote out Banks and Griffin, but the three supervsors representing the southern part of the county, Steen, Crosby, and Lott, all 3 need to be voted out also. All three of these Supervisors voted for this lake project in the beginning.

We really need 3 supervisors who can and will work together to do the right thing always, there has to be 3 votes on the board to get anything done.

The problem has always been that the 3 representing Gluckstadt, Madison and Ridgeland, cannot agree on anything and each has a personal agenda and each represent a different mayor with their agendas.

In order to get 3 votes, one of the 3 representing the south end, cut deals with Banks and Griffin (this is how this lake in nowhere project was given life) to get their personal agendas approved.

Until we get 3 supervisors that will work together, banks and Griffin will always control the agenda.

Anonymous said...

"Technically, we paid $18K+ to a corporation that doesn't exist."

Wow - imagine the tax advantages! (ripped off from Eric Idle and Rutland Weekend Television, broadcasting from a city that the UK declared non-existent)

Anonymous said...

"Stumpbridge" was the original name of the place as it was handwritten but scratched out on the soil test invoice. May it ever live as the folly of Stump Ridge.

Anonymous said...

Kingfish, I never knew what a city boy you are, did you want them to build in the city limits? The whole idea is to get out in the county and enjoy the lake and mother nature. It looks like a great place to build a park and lake, very pretty property. Not everyone loves the concrete jungle.

And BTW, it is his gate, he can build it like he wants, I thought it looked like he awas proud of his property and he was protecting it, probably from city slickers like yourself.

Franklin said...

Well heck. Yosemite was once way out there in the middle of nowhere.

Besides the cheapest land is way out there, as opposed to say a park on Highland Colony pkwy.

Anonymous said...

Also, don't forget Rudy's future fee for 12% of the construction project as County Engineer.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure JLT stands for Jim and Leslie Turner. They are big pals with the Warnocks and originally from Greenwood.

Anonymous said...

JLT Realty, Inc.

James O Turner II President, Director
Leslie R Turner Vice President

https://business.sos.state.ms.us/corp/soskb/Corp.asp?390950

Anonymous said...

The minute I read this, I knew someone would post " parks start out in the middle of nowhere".

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Parks are created to preserve some natural or historic site or to create green space in areas where population density puts green space at risk.

Or parks involve a large acreage of donated land that remain natural and are given to the state.

Sometimes land has structures already in existence that can be used for meetings, events, or some other purpose/interest and are donated to a city or county. Mynelle Gardens, and Eudora Welty's home would be examples.

For a county to create and maintain a park out of nothing in nowhere is unusual. One reason is because it's expensive to create and more expensive still to maintain.

Parks can be purely recreational but are usually done by private enterprise and have camp grounds and activities for which the public pays to use. If that is planned here, a county doesn't buy, prep, and create the park for private entities to make profits from running the park. That is like building Six Flags, buying all the rides and then giving it to a corporation . Even if the county taxpayers get a cut of the profits, government shouldn't financing private businesses unless a compelling public benefit...job creation or meeting a great public need can be demonstrated. And, a documented return on the investment, including how the " profits" will be used has to be shown up front.

How many Magnolia Venture Capitals and meat packing plants must taxpayers finance to understand how this is supposed to work?

This situation screams of corruption . It does so because if it met the conditions described above , everyone should know it. It should be a matter of public record.

Government's only role in a capitalistic system is to make sure the playing field is level so that a better mouse trap gets built and natural resources are efficiently used. If government lends it's weight and resources to favor one business over another, that is government corruption and corruption of the system.

C'mon people...THINK instead of defending some good ole boy you think you know.If you like your good ole boy and he's a rube, protect his fanny from letting everyone know how dumb he is. If he's corrupt, time you woke up. And, if you say you support capitalism and free enterprise, actually try to learn about what it is and isn't!




toejangle said...

A perp walk needs to happen over this----Time to send a message loud and clear----Where is the FBI ??

Anonymous said...

John Bell isn't this smart, but he has had me fooled for ten years into thinking he is an honorable man with Madison and Madison County's interest at heart. He really is not a smart man which means I am a dumb one.

Anonymous said...

Rich counties have these real estate luaus. Everybody in the political class gets a chunk of the pig.

Franklin said...

I like parks. They are pretty. I get more use out of parks than most any other fool thing government spends money on---except maybe the road to the park. I wish government would spend more tax dollars on parks than on government employees. The world would be better.

Blackwater Tank Dumper said...

You greenies are blindly suggesting this park will be a lush getaway lake with manicured parking for campers, an abundance of shaded grill areas, rustic cabins with a nearby stack of firewood and nature trails to enhance childhood learning.

Hogwash! It's nothing but another way to line the pockets of Warnock Associates. At most, what we will have in four years is an abandoned, overgrown, snake infested set of jungle gyms, a few rotted boards that once held sandpiles and some picnic tables covered in graffiti. Nobody will use it by then and eventually a chain will be strung across the entrance. A John Bell Crosby Memorial Campsite sign will be fitting at the 'CLOSED' gate.



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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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