Valerie Jarrett, one of the president’s senior advisers told major media outlets this morning that President Obama will travel to Denmark to support Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.  He will leave this Thursday and join his wife Michelle in Copenhagen where they, along with a packed contingent from Chicago’s bid committee and the world of celebrity, will lobby the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the international event.

The IOC will decide the host city on Friday from among the final contenders, Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.

What’s wrong with this picture?  I see two major problems.

First, let me say that there is no bigger supporter of the Olympic movement than me.  Before I became a realtor in Covington, I was a sports marketing consultant working primarily for worldwide corporate sponsors of the Olympic Movement for over 15 years.  I developed and implemented marketing programs to help sponsors leverage their sponsorships in Olympic Summer and Winter Games, regional competitions such as the Asian Games, and local trial competitions for National Olympic Committees in countries throughout the world.  I worked on Games and competitions in Europe, Asia, India, Australia and the U.S.  To me, there is no greater movement, nor one that elicits more national pride, emotion, history, or personal satisfaction than the Olympics.

My first issue with Obama traveling to Denmark is that the U.S. taxpayers will be springing for yet another presidential boondoggle and photo-op.  Not only is Obama going, but he is “meeting” Michelle there, and taking along Jarrett, Education Secretary Anne Duncan and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, according to the AP.

And since Obama is going, it’s a good bet that taxpayers will also be liable for a good portion, if not all, of the Chicago contingent’s costs.  The Chicago group will include the city’s bid committee members, Obama crony Mayor Richard Daley, Ophra Winfrey, and 14 Olympic and two Paralympic gold medalists, including Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Nadia Comaneci and Nastia Liukin.

There is no reason for the US President to lobby for the Games being held in the United States.  President George H.W. Bush did not make an appearance when Atlanta won the bid in 1989, nor has any other American president ever done so.  Obama will be the first U.S. president to actually appeal in person to the IOC for an Olympic event.  And in fact, it is likely that the IOC’s mind is already made up as to who will be the winning city.  Although no one will know until this Friday, IOC officials have been visiting potential cities, asking questions and receiving input from potential hosts for the past seven years.

But even more than Obama needlessly spending taxpayer money for this useless boondoggle, I’m concerned that Chicago even has a chance to win the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.

If you thought there were improprieties in winning the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games, which came close to destroying the Olympic movement, can you imagine the graft, corruption and quid pro quo that will be going on if Chicago is the chosen city?  Corruption and questionable dealings already exist throughout the city and state administrations, and will only be amplified by the lust after the billions of dollars of economic impact an Olympic event can bring to a city.  I can only hope that IOC members remember and have learned from the past what an ill-advised decision Chicago would be.

There’s nothing I would rather see than the Olympic Games back on U.S. soil.  But not at this time… and NOT in Chicago!

If you enjoy history or want to learn more about Covington's history and that of the people who have lived here, here's something you won't want to miss.

On Thursday evening, October 15, the Tourism Division of the Covington/Newton County Chamber of commerce is sponsoring a guided walking tour of the historic Covington City Cemetery.  The cemetery is located off Conyers and Church Streets just a couple of blocks off the historic square.

The tour will be conducted by people in period costumes representing several "residents" of the cemetery who will provide graveside commentary about their lives and history of Covington and the surrounding area.

For those unable to walk the route, golf carts will be provided.

The crisp fall weather, personal portrayals and rich history of Covington will make this an event not to be missed.

Tickets may be purchased at the Covington visitors center on Clark Street between now and the event.  No tickets will be sold at the cemetery.  Admission to the tour is $10 for adults and $5 for children.  All proceeds will go to the Newton County History Center, being developed in Covington's historic jail building, and to the construction of the Newton County Miracle Field.

Come out for an enjoyable evening.  Learn more about our history.  And support our local charities.

This week begins the autumn season, and Colonel Cob’s Corn Maze in Oxford is open again with an all-new maze and several new attractions.

The pathways through Colonel Cob’s 7-acre cornfield this year is in the shape of a giant pirate ship.  You should be able to navigate your way through the ship and safely back to the dock in about 30 minutes.  But for the “directionally challenged,” it could take much longer.  Co-owners Tommy and Emy Mitcham have also placed water-related trivia clues throughout the maze to help you navigate.  If you answer the trivia questions about uses of water, large bodies of water, etc. correctly, they’ll point you to the next clue and out of the maze.  Incorrect answers will send you in circles and ensure that you just wander about in the corn.

Other attractions at Colonel Cob’s include the traditional pumpkin patch, hayrides, bonfires, helicopter rides, pony rides, a corn cannon, inflatable slides and jumpers, a sand mountain full of treasure, and barbeque catered by Where There’s Smoke Barbeque and Catering from Mansfield.  The Mitchams also provide educational activities for children and school groups such as movies and audios about farming and farm life.

At Colonel Cob’s, tickets are $8 for the maze and $4 for the hayride through the farm.  Combined tickets are available.  Helicopter and pony rides cost extra.

Other corn mazes in the area include Corn Dawgs in Loganville, Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, Washington Farms in Watkinsville, Cagle’s Dairy Farm in Canton, and Uncle Shuck’s in Dawsonville.

Even as the leaves begin to change their color, Covington’s Clark’s Grove is "going greener.”

The Clark’s Grove Homeowner’s Association and several individual homeowners in the neighborhood are applying for a solar power grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Agency (GEFA).  GEFA will supply grants from a $4,000,000 pool provided by the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the “Stimulus Bill”) for alternate energy projects in the state.

The Homeowner’s Association portion of the grant would provide solar panels for power and hot water for the neighborhood swim club.  Individual homeowner grants would provide power for normal electrical service, solar thermal water heating, or a combination of the two. 

The grant, if approved, would provide 75% of the cost of each residential system, with the homeowner providing the remaining 25%.  Homes must have proper sun orientation and exposure to participate. 

Hannah Solar, who is submitting the grant on behalf of Clark’s Grove, says that the roof-mounted solar panels should cut electricity bills almost in half for the homeowners, providing a payback to the user in only two to three years.  After the payback, everything is “savings” for the consumer.  The system should be expected to operate without problems for at least 20 years.

Clark’s Grove is Covington’s premiere Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND).  TNDs are an emerging national trend in land use planning, smart development, and environmental stewardship.  Walkable communities where people live, work, shop and play, TND neighborhoods, such as Clark’s Grove, feature a town center, parks, plazas, commercial establishments, civic buildings, common green spaces, tree-lined sidewalks, narrow street grids, paths and trails throughout, and homes with front porches set close to the street on small lots.

Homes in Clark’s Grove are built to “EarthCraft” standards.  EarthCraft House is a green building program that specifies building standards resulting in healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment.  The program is a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Southface Energy Institute, the government and industry partners whose aim is to help home builders be leaders in smart growth management and environmental stewardship. 

Covington Georgia August 2009 Real Estate Resale Market Report

• Active Listings     1389
• Pending Sales      139
• Closed Sales         93
• Week's Inventory   65

The "Week's Inventory" indicates the number of weeks it takes to sell the current inventory of homes at the present rate of sales.  Inventory level in a "good real estate market"  is considered to be around 24 weeks.

Since Last Month's Report:

• Active Listings  DOWN 12.8%
• Pending Sales  DOWN  4.8%
• Closed Sales    DOWN  34.5%

Foreclosures:

New foreclosures in the Covington and Newton County real estate market were DOWN in August by 1.8%.  However, for the eight-month period, foreclosures are UP 11% in the county over the same period last year.

The Average Sales Price of homes in the Covington real estate market in August was UP 3.5% over July, but DOWN 22.3% from August 2008 prices.

DISCLAIMER:  All information, photographs & content contained within this blog is the property of Bill Blair and may only be used with express written permission of the author or via the Active Rain "reblog" function, posted in its entirety with attribution to the author.

All statistical information used to create this report was obtained from GAMLS.  Information Deemed Reliable but not Guaranteed.