[Clement Riddle,] the president of the Henderson County Soccer Association said his organization backed out of a lease agreement with the town of Fletcher this summer because it couldn’t generate the kind of financial support for a new soccer complex it has received for a Flat Rock site the county is close to purchasing. [my comment. - Too bad Clement Riddle forgot to tell the town of Fletcher that the Soccer Association was backing out of their deal.]Read it all, and don't forget, negotiations by the County were over August 26, when they signed the option agreement--no more need for secrecy then. It should have been made public at that date, not two months later under deadlines.
In August, the county entered into an optionto- buy agreement with the owners of Highland Lake Golf Course at a price of $1.15 million for the 65-acre property. The county wants to convert the course into a soccer complex and public park....
Still, Fletcher officials are unhappy that Riddle’s organization bailed out of a 25-year lease agreement — with an option for an additional 25 years — that took effect May 1 after two years of negotiations and planning.
Fletcher was to lease about half of a 100-acre piece of land donated by truck axle manufacturer ArvinMeritor, as part of an incentives deal with the town, for a sevenfield complex.
The town agreed not to charge the soccer association any rent for the first two years of the contract, and then would charge $10,000 per year for the next three years, with a percentage escalator taking effect thereafter....
“Understandably, our (town) council was a bit taken aback, that we had an arrangement with the Henderson County Soccer Association to do this on a property that’s a pretty good property to do this,” [Mark] Bieberdorf [Fletcher town manager] said. “It certainly fits. And then this (Highland Lake purchase) came up in one commissioners’ meeting and they took action on it. We were a little surprised to see it come about that quickly.”...
“The contract was approved by both parties and we were just waiting for them to break ground, and then we found out that the county apparently offered them another piece of property in a different part of the county,” [Town Councilman Bob] Davy said. “That golf course is costing the county a lot of money to begin with. If the county wanted to help put in soccer fields, they could have done it at a much cheaper price on the property out here in Fletcher, and, personally, I think it would have served the county better.”...
Graham Fields, assistant to the president at Park Ridge — which has pledged a $100,000 title sponsorship for the soccer complex — said the donation is an investment in the community and its future health, and that Park Ridge is leaving it to county leaders where the facility will be located....
Still, many residents who currently live near, or on top of, the golf course strongly oppose a soccer complex, fearing increased traffic, parking issues, noise and light pollution and decreased property values. They also are upset they were never consulted about the county’s plans and didn’t learn about it until after commissioners already approved it....
[County Commissioner Larry] Young [the only commissioner to vote against exercising the option agreement] also thinks the county and soccer association are underestimating the cost of renovating the golf course, and that when all is said and done, the county will have to raise taxes to pay for the project....
And interesting how Park Ridge Health is backing off somewhat, saying they are just interested in creating places for healthy activity and are not committed to any one location.
For more on the Fletcher situation, see earlier posts on Fletcher Mayor Moore's letter to county board chairman Edney and the lease agreement the town of Fletcher has with the Henderson County Soccer Association.
I say this as a Fletcher voter and taxpayer, and I'm dead serious about this:
ReplyDelete1. I was first in early voting for Fletcher. Although it was symbolic, I voted "None of the above." Nothing personal, both gentlemen will win anyway, I wanted to make a point.
2. Fletcher should SELL the land to farmers.
3. Had the County at least offered $600K as a grant for fields in Fletcher, they could have avoided this mess. The people of Fletcher wanted a soccer complex (I bet they don't now). The people of Flat Rock DON'T!
4. Had we spent what will be at least $2 million (I estimate at least $2.3 million) over 10 years instead on artificial turf at high schools, and rent them out on weekends and summer, Park Ridge can spend their $100K on putting in sponsorship logos in the turf, to be seen by a lot more eyeballs.
This was a completly unneeded...well, I better keep the language clean.
What in the world has happened to all the Henderson County fiscal conservatives. I feel like I am the last of a dying breed. I for one do not support Bill O’Connor’s “emerald”. It feels like the old "tax and spend" mentality. Tom Robertson
ReplyDeleteTo have 9 scorrer fileds we have never heard about it.In Germany no soccer filed will be build beside living property area, and each city board will have one soccer filed in Germany! What happend here in Flat rock is really stupid idea. And 9 is too much too! Bernhard Hagmaier
ReplyDeleteAsk O'Connor him how this 'dirty' deal squares with tea party principles that he falsely touts! Hats off to Larry Young for voting against this debacle. We need representatives who remember who they work for - us! Send a message. Let's make sure they don't get re-elected.
ReplyDeletesince aug 26 they knew the deal no secrets and residents should have been invited to voice the opionion this was a sandbag plain and simple now, that the meeting is tonight all this is published to sway the thinking and justify it WRONG.. property values will drop traffic on this road will never be able to handle it and there no room to make it wider. resident will enjoy a economic depriciation and will never recover noise, lights, crime, wake up people this is all wrong
ReplyDelete