Scientology going to create park at old Checker's site in Clearwater..

[Smurf]

Church of Scientology to replace eyesore with park.

"A longtime downtown eyesore has been bought by the Church of Scientology, which has torn it down to make way for a small park. The church recently acquired the site of a long-closed Checkers fast-food restaurant at 201 N Fort Harrison Ave., at the northeast corner of Fort Harrison Avenue and Drew Street. A purchase price wasn't immediately available. Before that, the property last sold for $475,000 in 2013.

The site is near several other Scientology properties and is across the street from the lot where the church holds its annual Winter Wonderland celebration during the Christmas season. The former Checkers site has been bulldozed. The church has told city officials that for now, it plans to put a small park there."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater-news-briefs-for-feb-13/2217340

 

[Chess]

Seems like a logical use of parishioner's money. :confused2:
I wonder what the average clam in $cn would really think if you could actually get it through theirs heads where their hard earned money actually goes. Aw well... hand us that flying pig will ya!

 

[rhansrider]

Would the cult somehow get a tax break if they put in a park? Otherwise I cannot see how a park fits into the cult mindset.

 

[MrNobody]

Church of Scientology to replace eyesore with park.

"A longtime downtown eyesore has been bought by the Church of Scientology, which has torn it down to make way for a small park. The church recently acquired the site of a long-closed Checkers fast-food restaurant at 201 N Fort Harrison Ave., at the northeast corner of Fort Harrison Avenue and Drew Street. A purchase price wasn't immediately available. Before that, the property last sold for $475,000 in 2013.

The site is near several other Scientology properties and is across the street from the lot where the church holds its annual Winter Wonderland celebration during the Christmas season. The former Checkers site has been bulldozed. The church has told city officials that for now, it plans to put a small park there."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater-news-briefs-for-feb-13/2217340

(bold and underlined)

"Nice" PR move...

 

[Gizmo]

Put in a " park, for now ".

In cult speak, isn't that they'll park a car there until they get it rezoned to what they bought it for ?

 

[Sidney18511]

Would the cult somehow get a tax break if they put in a park? Otherwise I cannot see how a park fits into the cult mindset.

Oh, I'm sure they have big plans......

They can name it L Ron Hubbard Park.

There can be a lovely serene area where one can contemplate their life as a sperm.

One can hike on the "time track" trails.

A food cart where one can pick a up delicious "bull-bait" burger.

The "prison planet" playground.

A big being LRH statue.

Weekend showings of Mission Earth with john travolta look-a-like contests.

 

[Leland]

I'm sure there will be a discrete plaque on the wall that says "this is private property" and "trespassers subject to arrest" just like the plaque on the park next to Ft. Harrison.

 

[eldritch cuckoo]

Would the cult somehow get a tax break if they put in a park? Otherwise I cannot see how a park fits into the cult mindset.

"Nice" PR move...

I seriously don't understand. They never, ever do anything for any community. Anything positive, that is. A park? WTF? A publicly accessible park? I would have understood if a drug mafia leader creates a park (or finances a school) for "his" community. They do that, for strategical reasons (and maybe in some cases to ease their conscience to some degree).
So what's behind this? Do they do that often? Are they just lying, is it all a PR move? What's to be expected in this case?
Will the land they bought for one purpose, be re-designated for another? (I don't know the term, and whether the concept/laws is the same in USA. Here, you have the following, for example: You can buy land (in a small city) that you can't buy a house on. The other case is that it would be "designated" for building a house on it (or having one already), and in this case it would have been much more expensive. Re-designations of land around a city happen, but a re-designation of a particular parcel recently after buying it can only happen if one is really, really good friends with the right person in the city council... )
Am I not getting the joke or what. :confused2:

 

[Smurf]

Would the cult somehow get a tax break if they put in a park? Otherwise I cannot see how a park fits into the cult mindset.

Yes, as long as the park is accessible to the public. Most agencies provide tax-exempt status for real and personal property, when devoted to public use and not for pecuniary profit.

 

[The Anabaptist Jacques]

It's a good idea for the Church. Maybe in the distant future they have other plans.

But the only positive statements I've heard about the Church are ones concerning the park they put up next to the Fort Harrison.

It is a beautiful park and I've heard many compliments about it.

So I think they are trying to capitalize on that while their properties sit vacant.

They own a lot of property across the street from the Checkers property that stretches up a block or two.

If they made a park out of that and can keep it safe that might make them look not so bad to some people.

The old Checker's site and directly north of it has a rapidly increasing crime rate.

So they will have to keep that park safe or maybe get sued by folks who get hurt there.

The Anabaptist Jacques

 

[Smurf]

It's a good idea for the Church. Maybe in the distant future they have other plans. But the only positive statements I've heard about the Church are ones concerning the park they put up next to the Fort Harrison.

It is a beautiful park and I've heard many compliments about it.

A critic in the Clearwater area should, quietly, post a sign in the park that defecation is welcome.

 

[The Anabaptist Jacques]

A critic in the Clearwater area should, quietly, post a sign in the park that defecation is welcome.

I think the Church has figure something out.

This is only a guess.

It is not unusual for Churches or non-profit organization to accept donation of properties with the unspoken agreement that when the donator is ready to develop that the organization sells it back to him for a small price.

That way the developer has saved a lot of money on property taxes in the intervening time.

Maybe the Church is doing that.

They do own a lot of undeveloped property around that area and I know they have offered to trade some properties with the city.

The Anabaptist Jacques

 

[The Anabaptist Jacques]

Wasn't this a Joni Mitchell song or something?

"They tore down a Checkers and they put up a Scientology park"

The Anabaptist Jacques

 

[Jump]

Wasn't this a Joni Mitchell song or something?

"They tore down a Checkers and they put up a Scientology park"

The Anabaptist Jacques

Yeah . . .

"paid for paradise then found dead in a parking lot"

Noah Lottick

 

[Lulu Belle]

I think the Church has figure something out.

This is only a guess.

It is not unusual for Churches or non-profit organization to accept donation of properties with the unspoken agreement that when the donator is ready to develop that the organization sells it back to him for a small price.

That way the developer has saved a lot of money on property taxes in the intervening time.

Maybe the Church is doing that.

They do own a lot of undeveloped property around that area and I know they have offered to trade some properties with the city.

The Anabaptist Jacques

Yeah. You know there's gotta be some kind of an angle to it.

We may not know what it is yet. But there is one.

Time will tell.

 

[Sidney18511]

Yeah. You know there's gotta be some kind of an angle to it.

We may not know what it is yet. But there is one.

Time will tell.

One angle that I can think of is they will give the impression that the city or the state put up this park to honor LRH and the cos had nothing to do with it.

Hip hip hooray.

 

[Lulu Belle]

One angle that I can think of is they will give the impression that the city or the state put up this park to honor LRH and the cos had nothing to do with it.

Hip hip hooray.

For those of you who are new to the game and who have never read this masterpiece...

http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/battlefield-tilden-park.htm

 

[JustSheila]

What a great story, Lulu Belle! Well written, too.

Thanks to the townspeople of Tilden, Nebraska, for seeing the manipulative cult's tricks and winning.

It's such a shame Clearwater is so divided by the Scientology cult taking over there. I hate seeing this stuff.