Did they know it would be considered for a private prison at that time? —Barbara Stratton

Received today on News about CCA’s private prison Project Excel expected at Thursday’s VLCIA board meeting. -jsq
Do you know why the county sold this property for less than the assessed price to the current owner in 2007 minus the wetlands that interject? Did they know it would be considered for a private prison at that time? Now the current owner will make the million dollar profit instead of the county. Since this is considered industrial park acerage owned by the county why would the county sell it if an industry/business was not promised at that time? What is the 100 acres the development agreement says the owner will be given? Is that the 119 acres of wetlands? If the county decides not to allow the private prison what happens to the earnest money that has been deposited to date since that would not be an action by the buyer or the seller?

-Barbara Stratton

According to the online information from the Lowndes County Tax Assessors Office, parcel number 0156D 005 on W/S Perimeter Road was sold by “VALDOSTA-LOWNDES COUNTY” to “BASSFORD N L JR” on 14 November 2007 for $1,463,512 as fair market value :

Sale Information
Sale DateDeed BookPlat PagePriceReasonGrantorGrantee
11-14-2007 3967 072 PC A 3852 $ 1,463,512 Fair Market – Vacant VALDOSTA-LOWNDES COUNTY BASSFORD N L JR
02-13-1998 1514 0327 $ 0 Non-Market VALDOSTA-LOWNDES COUNTY

The seller was not the Lowndes County Commission, which would start with “LOWNDES COUNTY”, and it’s not the City of Valdosta, which wouldn’t be hyphenated with the county name like that. Could it be the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority?

-jsq