Millwood closure debate ... Is this picture worth a thousand words or not?

Could this be a picture of what's to come IF that Millwood section gets closed in front of SU's OBT?   :)

Have a great day!

Is the WS event in the hole $75k already and where is this up to 5,000 visitors coming from?

From The Pub's perspective, the 10U World Series event is in the hole $75k already with the loan from WPRD reserve fund for this event.  Going to be interesting if this $75k gets paid back to the WPRD reserve fund or not?

From WincStar on Feb. 24, 2010:
http://winchesterstar.com/pages/view/series.html

The City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to authorize spending $75,000 to obtain the contract to host the 2011 Cal Ripken-Babe Ruth 10-Year-Old World Series.

The vote came after the council received a revised plan for holding the tournament. The board reviewed the idea during its pre-meeting work session and added the item to its meeting agenda.

Council President Jeffrey Buettner was absent.

Brad Veach, the city’s parks and recreation director, requested $75,000 in reserve funds for the tournament.

That money will be added to a matching contribution from Winchester Baseball to provide $150,000 for contract fees, facility repairs, and operating funds.

Veach said he thought the event would yield at least $75,000 in revenue, which would enable the money taken from the reserves to be replenished.

Council Vice President Art Major asked Veach to put his department’s money where his mouth is, proposing that any reimbursement shortfall be taken from the parks budget for fiscal year 2011. Veach agreed.

What is the up to 5,000 visitors representing?  How did someone come up with that number?

Baseball series could attract 5,000 visitors

And pump up to $750,000 into local economy

July 22, 2011
By Val Van Meter
The Winchester Star
     
Parks and Recreation Director Brad Veach said about $150,000 has been generated, in cash and in-kind donations, to refurbish Yost Field - pictured above, provide transportation, and offer special trips and incentives to the visitors during the upcoming Babe Ruth League, Cal Ripkin 10-Year-Old World Series. 

Winchester Parks and Recreation Director Brad Veach sees 10-year-old baseball players and thinks tourist dollars. 

At Thursday morning's meeting of the Winchester-Frederick County Tourism Board, he told members that the upcoming Babe Ruth League, Cal Ripken 10-Year-Old World Series could bring as many as 5,000 people to Winchester next month.

He added that those visitors could pump $750,000 into the local economy. 

http://winchesterstar.com/articles/view/baseball_series_could_attract_5_000_visitors

Previous supporting posts of interests:
http://thepibbsterspub.blogspot.com/2009/10/financial-impact-on-winchester-if-they.html

http://thepibbsterspub.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-are-economic-multipliers.html

http://thepibbsterspub.blogspot.com/2010/02/2011-10yr-old-cal-ripken-world-series.html

VHS rebounds from 2008 and has an outstanding year in 2009 for profitability!

Wonder how true this quote is ... "Paper lay still, they can write anything on it"

Did not VHS get a heck'va deal when it was agreed upon with City officials where VHS just pays a flat fee of $750,000 to the City of Winchester when you compare it the profit margins that they are consistently turning out?

Also, the Wellness & Fitness Center had $3,274,581 in total revenue for 2009.

Have a great day!

Click on image to enlarge!

Supporting documents:

VHS's 2009 Whole Group IRS990 Return

VHS Corporate's Mgmt 2009 IRS990

Random VA private college President's compensation package comparison

2009 $208,253 ... 2010 $211,151 ... Eastern Mennonite University
2009 $195,121 ... 2010 $221,986 ... Averett University
2009 $276,315 ... 2010 $283,749 ... Emory & Henry College
2009 $294,488 ... 2010 $287,326 ... Roanoke College
2009 $279,663 ... 2010 $316,266 ... Shenandoah University
2009 $282,963 ... 2010 $318,591 ... Bridgewater College
2008 $358,660 ... 2009 $332,295 ... Randolph Macon College
2009 $319,019 ... 2010 $358,265 ... Ferrum College   
2009 $429,394 ... 2010 $428,681 ... Virginia Wesleyan College
2009 $324,498 ... 2010 $442,983 ... Lynchburg College

The Pub is NOT affiliated with The Winchester Watchdog

For the record, The Pibbster's Pub is not affiliated with The Winchester Watchdog.

For those who want to spread untrue rumors, you need to stop because you are uninformed.

VHSL Financials since 2006

To help promote transparency with this non-profit and due to the number of requests to share such information and to eliminate a lot of hearsay, the Pub has decided to share the following information on the Virginia High School League's financial status since 2006:

Please note, up til 2006, it was only the Regions being calculated but starting in 2007, the "Districts" where  included as it was stated, some districts do very well while others struggle to keep their heads above water.

• Overview comparison for 2006, 2007 and 2008
  
• 2008 VHSL IRS990
  
• 2009 VHSL IRS990
  
• 2010 VHSL IRS990

New WatchDog group in town!

Check it ... http://winchesterwatchdog.com/

SU's President Speaks out on Millwood Ave Proposal

http://www.tv3winchester.com/home/headlines/SUs_President_Speaks_Out_on_Millwood_Avenue_Proposal_122975703.html


Tracy Fitzsimmons, President of Shenandoah University:

Setting the Record Straight on Millwood
One of the things I love about our community is how much local citizens care about Winchester, which has been reflected in the public dialogue over the past months on both sides of the Millwood issue.

I speak on behalf of the students, trustees, faculty and staff of Shenandoah University in saying that Shenandoah, too, cares deeply about our local community. I would not be enthusiastic about the potential re-location of Millwood Avenue if I did not believe that it would be good for both the City and the University.

In response to some of the concerns raised, I offer the following clarifications:

•    A consultant was hired because neither the City Council nor the University leaders are traffic experts. The consultants, Gorove/Slade, were hired because of their expertise in City/University transportation issues and their strong emphasis on stakeholder participation. From what I can tell after reading the report, they have based their recommendation on data and best practices.

•    The City of Winchester did not pay for the traffic consultants. The funds came from transportation planning funds available to the Metropolitan Planning Organization. These funds could not have been used to address other local needs like education or signage.

•    The re-location of Millwood has always been specifically aimed at improving traffic safety and flow through the Route 50 gateway and creating a nicer entrance to both Winchester and Shenandoah.

•    It will also facilitate the safe continuation of Winchester’s Green Circle trail, which addresses the City’s goals of promoting open spaces and alternative means of transportation.

•    The recommendation of the traffic experts is best understood as a re-location – not closure, but re-location - of Millwood Avenue about 100 feet to the south by adding a new, dedicated, continuous right-hand turn lane that would be carved out of current University property.

•    The consultant’s recommendation estimates that such a re-location of Millwood would reduce the potential for accidents and minimize driver confusion, especially for visitors to the city. And they estimate that the delay to those of us who regularly drive that route will be three to seven seconds.

•    The University will secure the funds necessary to complete the road improvements for this project currently estimated at $1.7 million, with no funding expected from the City of Winchester.

•    As a gesture of good faith toward that end, Shenandoah University has already set aside $500,000 for the project. This is the half a million dollars that our Board chair, Jim Vickers, referred to in a recent interview. This sum is a beginning and not a ceiling. SU is willing to take responsibility for raising the remainder of the funds necessary for the project.

•    The Economic Development Analysis & Master Plan of the Economic Development Authority lists an “Entry Corridor Improvement Program” as an important tactic to “Improve the Image of the City.” This project addresses that need for the Route 50 entry corridor. Both citizens and visitors alike will be greeted by a less confusing and more beautiful entrance to the city, with all of the appropriate signage to direct them to the historic district.

•    Finally, the University and the businesses immediately adjacent to it are in a mutually-sustainable position. Our students and their parents rely heavily on Sheetz and the Hampton Inn, and we have faculty and staff who patronize Beltone. As they thrive, the University thrives. We are confident that the Millwood improvements can be designed in a way that is beneficial to the local businesses – and we intend to continue to be a good neighbor to these businesses.
Over the last three decades, Shenandoah University has heavily invested time and resources in historic Winchester. The results include:

•    A $1 million renovation of the former John Kerr School building. Each year, more than 1,500 local residents take music, dance and art classes in this historic building.

•    Locating three of our academic programs – physical therapy, occupational therapy and education – downtown.

•    The purchase and renovation of the former Solenberger Hardware building on the Loudoun Street Mall for student apartments and a commercial space. In addition to bringing new revenue to downtown merchants, this property will remain on the City’s tax rolls.

•    The relocation of University staff members to the Feltner Building, on the Loudoun Street Mall, and the opening to the public of the Feltner Museum on a weekly basis, again, bringing activity and revenue to the City’s historic center.

If the re-location of that short stretch of Millwood Avenue were going to hurt the businesses or citizens of downtown Winchester, it would have the same negative impact on Shenandoah’s current and future operations downtown!

Instead, I believe that the re-location of Millwood will serve both the University and the Winchester community well.

If we can create a beautiful Route 50 entrance to Winchester, a nice entrance to the University that will reflect positively on the City, assure safer vehicular travel on the same number of lanes, direct traffic more clearly to the downtown – all without having the Winchester government shoulder the financial costs nor the citizens suffer with more than a seven second traffic delay – then isn’t that a win-win?
Isn’t that the kind of end goal toward which City-University partnerships are supposed to strive?

Winchester Star's view on Millwood Closure

Our View: 'Win-win' . . .
April 23, 2011
        
Or more like 'Advantage, SU'?

What's good for Shenandoah University will ultimately be good for Winchester. That's essentially the message put forth by James T. Vickers, chairman of the university's Board of Trustees, pertinent to the potential closure of the stretch of Millwood Avenue between the Interstate 81 interchange and Apple Blossom Drive.

The issue of whether or not to close this 1,000-yard ribbon of roadway, long hanging fire, will attain an initial measure of resolution next week when the local Metropolitan Planning Organization offers its recommendation on this proposal. If the MPO gives it a thumbs-up, as anticipated, the plan will be forwarded to City Council for ultimate approval or rejection.

Earlier this week, Mr. Vickers shed considerable light on SU's plans should City Council decide the closure resides in Winchester's best interests. The school envisions a brick wall around its southern boundary - a $1 million project, complete with a grand entry to the campus at University Drive - as part of a tree-lined, brick-walled approach to Winchester. Ancillary to this initiative would be an interior road system within the university, prompted by the projected closure of current entrances and exits to the Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business and the former National Guard armory.

For the remaining editor, following this link:
http://winchesterstar.com/articles/view/our_view_win_win

Interesting online FaceBook campaign poll

Check it out below, very interesting in how this will break down with individuals are actually attaching their name when their cast their vote.

What Should Shenandoah University do with $1.5-$2.0 million dollars?

Joint Commission reports less charity care will be needed

Stephen W. Bowman, Staff Attorney/Methodogist at Joint Commission on Health Care (November 3, 2010) reports that the number of uninsured and charity care need will decrease from the impact of the federal health care reform.

http://leg5.state.va.us/User_db/frmView.aspx?ViewId=928

Report recommends Millwood closure (NVDaily)

A consultant’s recommendation to the Winchester-Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization includes closing a stretch of Millwood Avenue near Shenandoah University. 

Dennis Grundman/Daily 

By J.R. Williams -- jrwilliams@nvdaily.com
January 13, 2011
http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2011/01/report-recommends-millwood-closure.php


WINCHESTER -- A transportation consultant has recommended closing Millwood Avenue between Jubal Early Drive and Apple Blossom Drive as the best alternative to the area's current traffic pattern.

A draft report prepared by Washington-based Gorove/Slade Associates Inc., which includes the non-binding recommendation, was released Wednesday by the Winchester-Frederick County Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional planning body that commissioned the study.

The study is the result of a comprehensive traffic analysis, input from several public workshops and other submitted comments. Eight scenarios for the area were developed and considered, including leaving Millwood open or closing other nearby roads.

Gorove/Slade has recommended closing the Millwood Avenue stretch, constructing a right-turn lane for westbound traffic on Jubal Early at its intersection with Apple Blossom Drive and adding a traffic signal near where Lowry Drive intersects Apple Blossom.

The report says the alternative was selected because it improves safety, convenience and appearance. Improvements are estimated to cost $1.73 million.

Public comment also swayed toward that alternative, the report says.

"From the comments it was apparent that there were strong opinions among different groups and interests that participated," it says, noting the concerns of critics who said they were not well-represented.

However, "The majority of the comments from the public sessions concluded that [the selected alternative] had the most merit," it says.

Gorove/Slade also recommended additional measures to consider if the plan is implemented, including a suggested route for the Green Circle Trail and implementing updated signs. It also recommends renaming Apple Blossom, north of Jubal Early, to Millwood Avenue for continuity.

MPO officials are expected to review the draft report at two meetings scheduled for Wednesday.

The Citizens Advisory and Technical Advisory committees will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors meeting room at the Frederick County office complex, 107 N. Kent St., Winchester.

The MPO Policy Board will meet at 10 a.m. in a first-floor conference room at the same address.

After reviewing the study, the policy board will decide on the next step and whether to schedule another meeting for public comment.

Chris Price, executive director of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission and MPO secretary, has said such a meeting is likely.

The MPO ultimately will make a recommendation based on public comment and the Gorove/Slade analysis, but final authority over the matter rests with the Winchester City Council.

The full study, including all public comment collected to date, is posted to the NSVRC website at www.nsvrc.virginia.gov. Click on "Commission News."

City Council votes to keep WMC tax exempt with amended ordinance

City Council voted to keep WMC campus tax exempt with an amended ordinance that will require WMC to make a payment to the city that will be $750,000 annually in lieu of be taxed.  It will be billed semi-annually and is reviewable every six years.

Kudos to the City Council for understanding that this David vs. Goliath battle would of been a heavy financial burden on the City of Winchester.

If WMC’s request for tax exemption for the campus was denied tonight, anyone could assume that an inevitable lengthy litigation process would have taken place.  A costly litigation process would have not been in the best interest of the City with its limited resources as compared to Valley Health Systems.

This agreement has ended the current litigation between VHS and the City of Winchester.

WMC and VHS’s reps must be thrilled with such agreed upon payment once one reviews would could have been.

Something to ponder, in 2009 ... WMC (not-for-profit) paid $98,896 in taxes to the City of Winchester and Lewis-Gale (for-profit) paid Salem-City $17,744,293 as it makes one wonder, was there some money left on the table?

Click here to review:
Winchester Medical Center (not-for-profit) and Lewis-Gale Medical Center (for-profit) 2009 comparison

Please note that WMC's down year in profitability for 2008 of just $9.5 million rebounded quite well in 2009 with $53.7 million.

This website: http://www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html# has profit figures that were documented for years 2000-2006 as the Winchester Medical Center had a 10yr profit total of $365.5 million during years 2000-2009.

$11,917,127 - 2000

 $4,262,944 - 2001

$25,868,766 - 2002

$35,113,921 - 2003

$46,711,931 - 2004

$54,346,679 - 2005

$57,422,789 - 2006
$66,617,961 - 2007 per IRS990
 $9,500,911 - 2008 per IRS990
$53,757,390 - 2009 per http://www.vhi.org/hospital_detail.asp?fac_numb=1934

 
$365,520,419 ...  Winchester Medical Center's profits 2000-2009