|
Featured Sections Headlines Opinion Obituaries Sports Crime Blotter Stolen Property Happenings Country Cooking Wandering Minds Classifieds Birthdays Off The Wall Cartoons On The Record Archives Church Listings   Featured Columns Dr. Myers Carl Langley Editor's Column Registered Sex Offenders for Edgefield County 2005 Crime Stats Video & Audio Updates Audio Archive (Testing) Video Archive Contact us Contact Info or E-mail the Editor Phone: 803-634-0964 day 803-279-5041 eve 803-279-8943 fax Mail to EdgefieldDaily.com PO Box 972 Edgefield SC 29824 School System EC District Office School Board Strom Thurmond Charter Schools Fox Creek Private Schools Wardlaw Academy Public Offices Edgefield County Edgefield Johnston Trenton Political State and Federal Legislative Contacts Local Political Parties Republican Party Democrat Party Chamber of Commerce Edgefield County Chamber Historical Edgefield Genealogical Society News links Edgefield Advertiser The Citizen News Aiken Standard North Augusta Star The State Augusta Chronicle Atlanta Journal United Press Associated Press FOX News Reuters CNS News WorldNet Daily Newsmax Drudge Report GoogleNews Yahoo!News New York Times New York Post Los Angeles Times Washington Times Washington Post |
Opinion
Mt. Vintage topic off limits for discussion? Not hardly A Column by the Editor web posted March 5, 2009 COLUMN – With Edgefield County Council Chairman Monroe Kneece preventing any discussions on the ongoing problems at Mt. Vintage citing litigation, it is clear all the deadlines set for MV Development that came and went were mere window dressing. The recent lawsuit by Mike Caldwell and Caldwell Design and Construction Inc. against the county and MV Development has nothing to do with the issues regarding the infrastructure and trying to get people into their homes. Not to mention it comes conveniently when the county requested security for the infrastructure and Mr. Rainsford just got $2 million and never gave the county a dime. Nope, not a word from the county council, and there will be no words on the matter, except mine. According to deed records, MV Development sold several parcels of property to Talmadge Knight through P. K. Knight Construction for the total of $2 million. The deal was signed in August 26, 2008 and was consummated with the filing of the title to real estate in the Clerk of Court’s Office on February 11, 2009 at 10:51 am. Mr. Knight and Mr. Rainsford are the partnership that is MV Development, but the sale takes those parcels out from under the direct control of MV Development and gives it solely to Mr. Knight. So, Mr. Rainsford, who has been the face of Mt. Vintage since inception, has poor mouthed the county council saying the minor setbacks were due to the banking crisis so there are no loans, the ailing economy so there are no lots being sold, and a whole host of other aspects of a pity party for him while he sternly said he made no apologies to anyone. What a guy. Of course the minor problems are major problems and people cannot get into their homes to live because of faulty sewage pumping stations, lack of water infrastructure, unpaved roads with craters feet deep. The area is nothing but a mud pit. And with all the poor mouthing and excuses MV Development just received $2 million and has ignored the county’s request that Bettis Rainsford aka MV Development place security (cash money) to complete the infrastructure with the county. So with the muzzle on our county leaders he will flaunt around like a proud peacock thumbing his nose because once again the rules do not apply to him. So I have a question I want answered. If there was this cash flow problem and there was less than $400,000 of work to be done, as Mr. Rainsford has stated, then why are the roads not getting paved or even getting scrapped and prepared for paving? I’m not a math whiz but I think $2 million will cover the cost of a $400,000 job. Maybe I need to do some more math to figure out this little problem. $ 2,000,000 money from sale minus $ 400,000 claimed cost of finishing all infrastructures minus $ 661,623 lien on infrastructure minus $10,000,000 preliminary filing on foreclosure equals Negative $9,061,623 Maybe I just answered my own question. The county council may want to hide behind the slim veil of a pending litigation to not speak publicly on the matter, but that has nothing to do with following through with forcing MV Development to complete the work and provide the required bond or security as the law provides. The laws are on the books and they are enforceable, if the county council wants to enforce them. The county council also needs to hold former County Administrator Wayne Adams and Building and Planning Director Howard Gibson responsible for not doing their jobs. We need to know how this happened to begin with and nobody has asked for an explanation on that still. I, personally, believe there may even be grounds for a criminal investigation into the matter. We already know that laws were broken when lots were allowed to be sold without the proper bonds being provided to the county. Laws were broken when lots were sold with plats that were not legally filed. Maybe it is time law enforcement gets involved and find out just how many laws have been broken throughout this completely sordid situation. The truth is there if they just want to look for it. © Copyright 2009
EdgefieldDaily.com All
original material is property of
EdgefieldDaily.com and cannot be reproduced, rewritten or redistributed
without the expressed written permission of Edgefield Daily.com
|
Additional Ad locations available Contact Us   Parting Shots A new book by Columnist Carl Langley -------  JAM Straight Customs  NOTICE:
We still need recipes for Cooking Section WEBNEWS – Send in your favorite or favorites. There is no limit to the number of recipes you can send in. With the Editor’s wife being the driving force behind her own personal section, help her create an exchange of local favorites, home cooking, grilling, sauces, and deserts! Send in your submissions here. |
