The Industrial Authority was very forthcoming about everything about their new office purchase except who they were buying it from; this was at the 16 April 2013 Board Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority. The seller turns out to be a household name hereabouts.

New Office –Roy Copeland

Chairman Roy Copeland talked about the at least five year process for finding “a new home” for VLCIA. He noted that before he joined the board they were considering buying a property he and his wife own. He and former Lowndes County Chairman Ashley Paulk looked at another property near the Courthouse. VLCIA even toured the historic Lowndes County Courthouse but concluded it couldn’t be renovated for their purposes. Jerry Jennett noted the search had gone on even longer than five years. Copeland said the parameters they had set were, as far as he recalled, somewhere north of the new courthouse, between Ashley and Patterson Street, up to about Northside Drive. They eliminated many locations due to space, parking, or expense. They ended up with a property on Roosevelt Drive, the old Heritage Bank Building, which is now “a hub of economic development and construction activities”. He noted each and every member of the board had been consulted numerous times and they had asked CPA Tom Davis to do an economic analysis. Copeland asked Davis to talk about that since “we have the newspaper and Mr. Quarterman here”.

It’s curious they didn’t look south of town, considering I saw Roy Copeland down there in his role as President of 100 Black Men of Valdosta inspecting a house 100 Black Men had bought and moved for use as their headquarters. Presumably VLCIA knows about this, since VLCIA is a sponsor of that organization. If expense was an issue (as it should be) I suspect reasonably-priced properties could have been found there. Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios, Inc. located in a former Armory in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago and by doing so turned it into a desirable neighborhood. It’s too bad none of the local leaders around here think seem to like that.

Here’s Part 1 of 2:

A New Home! Year Six Part 1 of 2:
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,, Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton, Attorney, Tom Davis, CPA, Allan Ricketts, Project Manager,S. Meghan Duke, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, Lu Williams, Operations Manager,
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 16 April 2013.

New Office –Tom Davis

Rents for the present office escalated from a “teaser rate” the first year up 35%, then up 7% or so about every three years to their current rate of $4,270 a month. Along the way they added an office in the back and took over some of the maintenance of the grounds. Board member Tom Call said once they got the location determined, due diligence had to follow. Chairman Copeland emphasized due diligence, and Tom Call elaborated on what they did, including permits from the city for renovation, consulting engineering firms, stormwater retention dealing with the impervious surface. Call said they went down the list of everything a builder or developer would do. Davis said if VLCIA ever decided to move from the new office it would be a valuable asset. Chairman Copeland reiterated that it was “buttressed by a hub of construction and economic development”. Call made this motion, which the board unanimously approved:

the purchase of 103 Roosevelt Drive, Valdosta, Georgia for the price of $510,000, subject to the current owner completing the construction of the adjacent retention pond and installation of a paved road and parking lot with curb and gutter, and granting to the Authority at closing a perpetual transferable non-exclusive easement over across and upon the adjacent property of the seller for the purpose of overflow parking and ingress and egress.

Here’s Part 2 of 2:

A New Home! Year Six Part 2 of 2:
Regular Meeting, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
Norman Bennett, Tom Call, Roy Copeland, Chairman, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett,, Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director, J. Stephen Gupton, Attorney, Tom Davis, CPA, Allan Ricketts, Project Manager,S. Meghan Duke, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, Lu Williams, Operations Manager,
Video by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 16 April 2013.

Who owns 103 Roosevelt Drive?

The Lowndes County Tax Assessors database says 103 Roosevelt Drive, parcel 0113B 098, is owned by H G PINNACLE PROPERTIES LLC, P O BOX 1808, Valdosta, GA 31603, and is assessed at $309,588. So VLCIA is paying about $200,000 premium over the assessed value, or a 64.7% markup. Of course assessed tax value is not real market value, and VLCIA is getting some further improvements along with it. Curiously, the Georgia Secretary of State does not list an H G Pinnacle Properties, nor anything with Pinnacle in the name. Assorted online lookups give different addresses, including 2801 Cameron Lane, Valdosta GA, 31601, 229-242-1161 (MerchantCircle.com) and 3316 N Oak Street Extension # 7, Valdosta, GA 31605-0343 ( Manta). That last is the address of Pinnacle Prime Contractors, which also has the same Post Office Box listed for H G Pinnacle Properties by the Tax Assessors Office, and Pinnacle Prime’s facebook page lists the same Cameron Road address. Pinnacle Prime Contractors is a Florida Corporation. Am I remembering incorrectly, or did not former Lowndes County Chairman Ashley Paulk mention during several Commission meetings that he was involved with Pinnacle Prime?

After they adjourned, I was talking to VDT reporter Jason Schaefer when Chairman Roy Copeland came up and asked Schaefer whether VDT Managing Editor Kay Harris had given Schaefer financial information about the VLCIA’s new office. Schaefer said no. Copeland said he definitely had given her that information. Interesting….

-jsq

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