SUFFOLK
In an open letter to the city’s residents, the Citizens for the Preservation of Obici House asked that close scrutiny be paid to the Obici House property because the future plans are still a mystery.
On Wednesday night, the Suffolk City Council voted unanimously to allow James R. Rountree to save the home of Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici, founder of Planters Peanuts. Rountree has overseen the Sleepy Hole Golf Course for years and recently decided to include the Obici House in his business plans.
City Council has been batting around the future of the home for months. Rountree, Citizens for the Preservation of the Obici House and the Suffolk Professional Firefighters had all put in bids to restore and reclaim the home. The firefighters group later withdrew its offer.
In its open letter, e-mailed late Thursday, the preservation group said while it was pleased that the community turned out to support the restoration and preservation of the home, but that it was unclear that the house is now safe from further neglect.
“There has been no public disclosure of the restoration and preservation plan that has been submitted by Mr. Rountree and apparently found acceptable by the City Council,” the letter said. “The Citizen’s preservation group submitted two proposals and made all the details available for public scrutiny. … None of those requirements were in evidence at Wednesday’s meeting where the City Council quickly, and with virtually no public explanation or opportunity for public input, approved this latest proposal for the Obici House.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, Mayor Linda Johnson was interested in keeping the house in its current location and Councilman Jeffrey Gardy wanted to know whether Rountree could afford the offer.
Rountree has agreed to restore the home and take the cost of the restoration from his annual rent. The home will remain in place, become a part of the golf course and will be open to the public.
“Mr. Ronnie Rountree has offered us a solution for what might have been a sticky problem,” Gardy said Wednesday.
The council also agreed to amend the lease that Rountree already has on the golf course to include the house.
“We should be thankful that plans to demolish this property have been halted,” the preservation group’s letter said. “And we should be thankful Mr. Rountree has stepped up to the plate. However, it will be wise and in the best interest of the public to remain vigilant and continue to keep the fate of the Obici House property under close scrutiny, whatever and however long it takes. That is our pledge to you.”
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How did we get here?
Then there are the many questions about: How and to what level this restoration will be done? Will it be done to the accepted standards and by the “book”? Who will monitor the process for “Historical Appropriateness” or for proper adaptive reuse since it is outside the "Historical Overlay District"? Who will monitor Mr. Roundtree’s plans and expenditures for what is nothing more than the spending of "accrued public rent monies" that would have been paid to the “General Fund” just like our taxes? Will these expenditures of public funds, that would otherwise be in the public coffers, be fully accounted for and spent wisely?
So as I see it, too many questions and too few answers.
Roger A. Leoanrd
Suffolk...
How did we get here?
I am at a crossroads on this issue, with the latest decision by the Council to give the Obici House to Mr. Roundtree via his existing RFP and lease for the Golf Course, without open bidding. I have personally talked to the Mayor and Mr. Parr, and both have assured me that there would be “no public money spent on another historical project” in this hard economy. I thought that was very clear and to the point, but what is the difference between Mr. Roundtree spending the rent money from the Golf Course Lease payments to renovate the Obici House, which would accrue to the city (ie:Possibly Hundreds of Thousands of PUBLIC DOLLARS!!!) and just spending more PUBLIC MONEY??? This is a farce to say the least and will lead to spending “Public Money” for another historical project by way of the BACKDOOR! This backdoor method to get at “PUBLIC FUNDS” in these hard times, is not what we were sold. Don’t get me wrong, I do support a “privately funded effort” to save this important home, but this is just more sleight of hand under the guise of a solution! I also believe that this just might violate the Virginia Procurement ACT, by making such a significant change to the RFP/Lea
Correction!
Correction: Ronnie Rountree is not a member of Suffolk's Planning Commission.
"Good Ole Boy!"
This is another example of the "Good Ole Boy" system related to Suffolk City Government. Planning Comissioner Rountree is getting a "Rent Free" lease from the city for the golf course. His idea of restoring buildings is to take a bulldozer to it. Rountree will inform the council sometime in the future, that the Obici House is unrestorable.
Council will vote to let him take the structure down, so he can build a big clubhouse on the same site. This decision is a combination of "Good Ole Boy system", Backdoor politics, and irks of "Conflict of Interest."
"It's NOT a good time to be in Suffolk!"
Obici House
"Better get it in detailed writing." He has an open book to do what he wishes and you'll be asking questions later.....and have his answers!
He'll be getting a rent free golf course
A better and more economical idea would be to have a huge barn fire and invite the entire city. The Obici House could represent the city's tax revenue and the fire can represent the city government. The speed at which the house burns will be representative of how fast city government goes through our tax dollars. The golf course, the Obici House, the old Sleepy Hole Campground and the Planters Club all need to be sold off to the private sector. There is huge potential for these properties but the city is not capable of combining them together to compliment each other. The city is also lacking business knowledge to manage them correctly. Re-open the camp ground, build the pool back at the planters club, build tennis courts, a concert area at the park, a boat ramp at the park and include golfing in a group package and it will be a major attraction.
The Rent
Roundtree will deduct the cost of restoration from his rent. The question is, how much is his rent? And how much of that can he deduct? That house is in pretty bad shape. Is there an unlimited budget for repairs?
My thoughts EXACTLY.
My thoughts EXACTLY.