And the beauty contest winner is ? a camel
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The first of what promises to be an annual event featured nearly 100 dressed-up camels judged by veteran herders for the shine of their hair and the attractiveness of their humps.
I only hope as the camel contest becomes more popular – and more competitive – it doesn’t suffer the same corruption as the livestock exhibit at the Ohio State Fair.
Three livestock exhibitors in last year’s fair were officially disqualified earlier this month when Ohio State Fair inspectors ruled the farmers had outfitted their Holstein cows with hair pieces. Yes, hair pieces.
The inspectors pointed to conclusive evidence that the three “glued or painted” hair from other parts of the cow to enhance their appearance in the show ring.
Speaking of competition, it’s high school basketball season and we all know how tempers can flare. We’ve witnessed what I’ll call a few juicy incidents here in Warren County, but apparently folks are just a little more out of control in Pennsylvania.
I say that after a parent actually body slammed a high school referee last week when the referee ordered the man’s wife to leave the gym for yelling obscenities. What a charming family they must be.
The referee, Ronald Bell, 57, was treated at a hospital for a concussion and released that night. The parent, Peter Dukovich, 47, was charged with simple assault, assault on a sports official and disorderly conduct. His wife, RaeLynn, unleashed an obscenity-laced tirade on the official because she says he was making bad calls.
There’s no word on whether Dukovich was able to pin Bell after the body slam. Security officers apparently stepped in before he could try other wrestling maneuvers.
But wait ? there’s more. In Colorado, a 48-year-old father of a high school basketball player, upset over what he termed miserable officiating, was charged with assault after allegedly biting two of the three referees in an on-court brawl. No wrestling moves were attempted.
For sale: One large Carrier building
I’ve always tried to make this a reader friendly column and by that I mean if readers take the time to call and ask me a question, I’ll do my best to try and find an answer. Over the last two weeks, dozens of questions have revolved around Carrier and what that company’s departure will do to Warren County. And one of the most frequently asked questions is: What’s going to happen to that building?
My crystal ball doesn’t have an answer to that, but I do have some interesting information. Based on a 1998 property appraisal, the Carrier building and property is valued at $13.9 million. That breaks down to $13.1 million for the building and around $750,000 for 231 acres of land. Since property assessments are done every six years, it’s safe to say Carrier and its land might be worth a little more today.
But the sticker price and what someone will actually pay are two different things. And in today’s economy, I can’t think of too many companies outside of Nissan or Toyota which are looking for such sizeable plants in this region.
Outside of the massive job losses, the county will also be hurt by losing Carrier’s tax payments. The big-ticket item is the personal property tax Carrier pays. For those who might not know, that’s a tax on the equipment Carrier owns inside the building.
Carrier’s equipment has an appraised value of $45.2 million which amounts to $315,000 in personal property taxes paid to Warren County each and every year. Carrier also pays $16,219 in personal property taxes to the city of Morrison since a small portion of its plant is located in Morrison city limits.
Once Carrier moves out its production lines and the $45 million worth of equipment is gone, the personal property tax will be lost. However, the county should still be able to collect Carrier’s property tax as long as Carrier owns the building and the land. Last year that property tax was $125,724.
For the record, Yorozu paid the most personal property taxes in the county last year for more than $54 million worth of equipment. Carrier was second followed by A.O. Smith and Oster. If you’re wondering why Bridgestone isn’t on the list that’s because Bridgestone isn’t on the county tax rolls because county officials waived their taxes to get the company to locate here. I’d say that was money well spent.
Smokey Joe’s is closing restaurant in town
I’m writing about far too many business closings in this column and here’s another to add to the list. Smokey Joe’s Hickory House on North Chancery Street closed its doors yesterday after one year in Chancery Plaza shopping center.
“McMinnville currently has more eating places than a small town can support and still be profitable with the current economy being what it is in Warren County,” said owner Linda Black, who stressed her family was keeping the Smokey Joe’s in Midway open.
Smokey Joe’s had been at Chancery Plaza for one year and decided not to renew its lease. Linda said it was just too hard to compete with the all-you-can-eat buffets, places that stay open on Sundays, and restaurants that serve beer. Combined with the high cost of rent in town, Linda said there wasn’t enough wiggle room.
Linda remains upbeat and invites everyone to come out and eat at the Smokey Joe’s in Midway. In the spring, she plans to do some remodeling to the kitchen area and expand the eating area. She is also going to add more items to her already popular menu. Call 686-2355 for directions to the Midway restaurant.
I would be remiss to talk about Smokey Joe’s closing without also saying something about Chancery Plaza, which is now about three years old. The shopping center seemed to be a smash hit when it opened and was filled up almost immediately with businesses such as Planet Pizza, Party & More, and Tennessee Credit.
But Tennessee Credit decided to move elsewhere, Party & More is going out of business, and Planet Pizza closed down. Now Planet Pizza’s replacement, Smokey Joe’s, has closed too.
Hopefully the shopping center can find a solid anchor to support Tee’s Jewelry, which has been there from the beginning. As far as location goes, that section of N. Chancery has to be one of the busiest roads in town.
Used car lot going next to Wendy’s
I’ve mentioned in a previous column about the business which will be going next to Wendy’s, but I’m still getting a fair amount of questions about it. And I know how easy it is to miss an edition and not catch the news, so I’m happy to go over it again.
The building currently under construction next to Wendy’s will be a used car lot. Co-owner Travis Barnes tells me there is probably still a month’s worth of work left before the business is ready to open. Travis say he plans to have top-of-the-line used cars there.
That’s all folks
Rumors have been flying about Eckerd’s and The Movie Gallery and all sorts of businesses locating next to Lowe’s. I have all that information, what’s true and what’s not so true, but you’ll have to wait until next week to read it in this column.
If you have business tips, don’t hesitate to give me a call. The number is 473-2191.