April 8, 2011 - Mr. Bill Abresch of Bill's Professional Gardening tills the Raleigh Community garden spot 1 of 2 sites. We had to remove numerous amounts of large slabs of asphalt, concrete and bricks in order to get this site ready. Click on the above picture for more photos.

Seventeen Raleigh Community Council members turned out on a HOT Saturday morning on July 31st and and collected 21 bags of trash, a mattress and numerous sticks and limbs to allow the ground to be turned over for a crop of greens to be planted this fall. The site had previously been bush hogged at no cost except for the gas by Tony Schmidt. Click on the above picture for more photos.

The following companies and individuals have contributed to the Raleigh Community Garden/ Park Project:

Tower Ventures - $1000.00

O. T Marshall Architects 1500.00

Kemp Conrad 100.00

Farris Bobabgo Branan 500.00

MORE NEWS

The Assessors office has revised the 2009 assessed value of the RCC land from $957,800 Commercial Appraisal to $139,600 Residential status.

They are sending us forms to appeal the appraisals for both 2009 and 2010, so these values COULD go DOWN even more.

2009 Commercial Property Taxes were : County $15,401.42 + 924.08 (Delinquent Taxes) and  City of Memphis 12,243.37 + 1,132.14 (Delinquent Taxes)  totaling $29,701.01.

2009 Residential Property Taxes without delinquent fees based on land value of $139,600 are :  County $1,402.98 and City $1,115.30 Totaling $2,518.28

This is a reduction of $27,182.73.

2008 Residential Property Taxes based on assessment of $55,400 were: County $ 559.54 and City of Memphis $ 450.12 totaling  $1,009.66.

I intend to file the appeal paperwork and see if we can get it back to the 2008 assessment of approximately $55,400 or less and see might happens.  Most property values went down in the 2009 Reappraisals cycle and this land should be no different.

I'm feeling very optimistic about the future of this land and OUR COMMUNITY Organization.
I'm wanting to KEEP the land and develop it into a Community Park and Garden.

The connections that the Raleigh Community Council have made with Memphis City/ Shelby County / State of Tennessee elected and appointed officials and agencies, Tennessee State University (Urban Garden Program), Habitat for Humanity, West Tennessee Foresters Assoc., and Memphis business owners mean that WE CAN MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN!  Planning this year with ground breaking in the Fall 2010.



Kevin Brooks

CLICK HERE to see a map and description of out property on the Shelby County Register of Deeds' web site