The Veterans Affairs executed a lease with Tim Bennett's Kusche Sports Group, LLC for the lease of 234 parking spaces in July 2021. The contract is scheduled to pay Kusche $5.5 million over 15 years although the company must provide shuttle service and maintain the parking lot.
The contract contains the following terms:
* Kusche leases 234 parking spaces to the VA.
* The contract term is 15 years but it states "10 years firm."
* Posted below is the schedule of payments.
* As seen above, Kusche's operating costs are stated as $283,804 per year.
* The VA may terminate the lease on 90-day notice.
* If the title to the property is transferred (#6), the leasor must notify the government within five days. Kusche and the new owner shall execute a novation agreement.
* Parking lot must be paved, striped, and well-lit. The parking lot is available to VA Monday through Friday.
* Kusche must provide security personnel 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM Monday through Friday.
* Kusche must provide at its own cost shuttle service and "adequate shelter" for VA employees who use the shuttle service.
* Public Properties received a commission of $109,533.
The parking lot is to be used as overflow parking for VA employees.
Kingfish note: Kusche is obviously not making $360,000 per year in pure profit. However, the rent income received could have gone a long way in paying Kusche's $125,000 annual rent to the city of Jackson.
22 comments:
This seems like a Kush deal, a lot of people would be down for a deal like this!
How many VA people are parking there?
I want to come back as a broker in my next life-
These comments gonna be gold!
The City's legal staff has not exactly distinguished themselves over the years.
1992 GMC Astro van with no driver for a luxurious shuttle any and every day.
That parking lot has a ton of vehicles stolen out of it. I bet it's Craig at Top Flight Security of the World providing the parking lot watch.
Can anyone confirm there is actually shuttle service for the employees? I guess once the state crime lab officially moves to Rankin County, they could build the overflow parking there. This is one reason why our federal government is broke, having lush contracts like these. Why can't the VA negotiate with the COJ, the actual owner of said property. I bet Chokwe would schedule a presser or two, pat himself of the back, and head to Char if he negotiated this himself. Me thinks Bennet knows some top brass at the VA.
Shuttle service provided by JTRAN.
2:46 - the COJ could certainly of negotiated for the contract. When I was a real estate agent, two years ago, I was bombarded with calls from people looking for a parking lot for the VA. They were upfront with it, even sent me the specs from the bid sheet. It was all there on a government website. These guys needed a paved lot to lease long term, then they would put the other pieces together and bid on the contract. It was all there for anyone to see. The guy who had the lease on Smith-Wills knew he was dealing with city officials that would never even think that a parking lot could make any money. Throw a blanket clause in the lease and boom, it was his to do as he wanted. The genius part was knowing that he would never have to pay any rent to a landlord that didn't have a clue how to read, evaluate or analyze a lease (yet alone collect rent) and then have the cojones to get the rent forgiven. Gotta hand it to the guy.
There are never any vehicles parked in that area. Although a couple of weeks ago I did see a shuttle bus with driver sitting near the stadium gate entrance about 2 PM. This is just a scam but that fits with the VA or any other government agency.
Makes me wonder how many unused parking lots federal agencies are paying for around the country.
Quit holding out and post up a video tour of the excellent facilities the taxpayers are buying!
Shelters (if any), shuttles (if any), security (if any), wheel and suspension busting potholes (if any), and all the other cheap thrills available to the patrons parking there.
Sure hope if there actually are any shuttles they are properly insured and licensed!
I park there a couple times a month (I'm not a VA employee). There is visible security and the parking lot is in relatively good shape. I think I've seen a shuttle, but can't be 100% on that. I've never had any issues with burglary in that lot and I've parked there overnight (with an older, less desirable vehicle). There's likely some a regulation (and/or union agreement) that outlines the number of parking spaces required and even though some VA employees likely now telework, the requirement is still in place.
If JTRAN is providing the shuttle service there are federal rules to be followed!
https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/access/charter-bus-service/charter-bus-service-regulations-0
"Charter Bus Service Regulations
FTA’s Charter Service Regulations (49 CFR Part 604), which implement 49 U.S.C. 5323(d), protect private charter operators from unauthorized competition from FTA grant recipients. In essence, the charter regulations were implemented to ensure that transit agencies, subsidized with federal money, do not unfairly compete with privately owned bus companies. Under the charter rules, with limited exceptions, local transit agencies are restricted from operating chartered services."
It could be that there is a loophole that would allow this, or someone thinks there is a loophole, or there is a kushy deal of some sort!
Don’t just go after these 2 or 3 crooks involved in this scam. Go after every person with any knowledge of this Sh*t. They obviously got money on the side. I have no problem having the state paying for these crooks spending a year or two in Jail. You will be shocked at the speed of “witnesses” willing to come forward as long as they have some “protection”.
Attn 1:48 PM. Who with a distinguished law school degree would work for the “City of Jackson legal dept?” It’s not hard to get the kind of degrees that those working for the City of Jackson have. P.S. having a law degree does not mean you have “passed the bar”.
Someone might want to find out if that US Government contract was used as "collateral" on any other "deal." I have a feeling that the juice from arbitraging the incompetence of the COJ and the waste of the Fed might not have been quite enough for the characters involved in this. IOW, folks often get too greedy and take things too far.
I knew a guy who made a decent living for about 30 years counting cards. He never tried to break the bank, just make a moderately nice income (very moderate in many circles). He would give the house a lot of action for a few days a month, often losing big when he could have done otherwise, and take a bit of skim while enjoying some nice comps. I have no idea if any dealer or pit boss knew what he was doing, but he never got tossed out of any casino anywhere that I knew of and retired nicely. Hell, the casinos might have known but since a few winners are good for business, maybe they considered his lack of greed and genial nature vs the action and tourist-pumping he did worth letting him earn a little something. The morale, such that it is, is that if you are determined to get away with something, don't try to get away with everything and you just might get away with what you need (with apologies to Mick, et al).
The shuttle bus will be ok to run so long as the kingpins are kept properly greased!
"...having a law degree does not mean you have 'passed the bar'."
True enough. But having the former and passing the latter does not automatically make anyone, be they at the COJ, a solo/small firm, or Butler Baker Candlestickmaker, a competent attorney much less a good or "distinguished" one. There are a handful of truly excellent lawyers in MS, as long as your hands aren't too big. And our judges (above Justice Court) were and are elected from that pool. There have been some very bright legal minds and legal scholars in Mississippi over the years (and still are) but not nearly enough.
Many of those who will become the bright legal minds and scholars of the future get their asses out of the state ASAP, taking their brains/minds/ability along with them. Unfortunately, some of those who leave do return. I say "unfortunately" because the vast majority of those who return do so because they stood little chance anywhere else. Yes, that includes more than one currently well-known person who has a JD and bar card.
What Grub?
Grub? I'm reminded of the gentleman who was murdered in one of those parking spots after a meal (grub) at the crawfish joint.
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