Saturday, July 14, 2007

The RAVENWOOD RIP-OFF

The story given to the public was that Ravenwood Country Club in Hermitage was in deep financial trouble. The club needed to sell off some of their land in order to pay their debt. The developer was going to build beautiful homes near the golf course and profits from the sale would save the club.

What really went down behind closed doors many are calling the Ravenwood Rip-Off! Eddie Phillips wanted the land for a development, but there was no access into the land without cutting through the golf course. So Bill Freeman, Jimmy Webb and Kent Burns of Freeman-Webb Investments (all donors to Harold White's 2003 election campaign)paid $487,000 for 90 acres of prime building land from Ravenwood Country Club. FWB owned the PineBrook Apartment complex on Hickory Hill Lane where White convinced the Planning Staff that they could gain access to the property. Harold White then rezoned the property for Freeman-Webb Investments in order to build houses and condos ignoring a petition over 600 residents next door who opposed the rezoning.

Freeman-Webb then sold just 60 acres of the land to Eddie Phillips for $1.9 million. Three men who gave $2500 to Harold White for his campaign just made a profit of $1.5 million.

Ravenwood is still in financial trouble and having trouble paying the bills. Sounds like a dirty deal to many including Ravenwood Club members. Either your board of directors is stupid or they just sold you out. Surely Ravenwood could have paid off their debt with an extra $1.5 million. Wonder what lovely gift Councilman White received from this deal? Harold White, the center of the RAVENWOOD RIP-OFF!!