7 JAN 09: The Big House

Tuesday was a sensational January day in Columbus. The high temperature set a record, at 75 degrees F. It was so warm that I was incredibly tempted to start spring cleaning two months early.

It was a perfect day for an old-fashioned auction on the courthouse steps. And the Government Center held one on the Plaza Level, for foreclosed property - only one location stood out from the others. It probably was the only home with a million-dollar price tag. And it certainly was the only one whose owner is a famous name - which is the only way you can afford a million-dollar home around here.

The Muscogee County Marshal's Office auctioned off the Green Island Hills mansion once owned by Bill Heard. WRBL visited the location on Big Eddy Court, and showed a plaque on the gate with the mansion's name - "Espléndido." How could a car dealer who flew a giant U.S. flag have a home with a Portuguese name?

The foreclosure auction of the Bill Heard mansion was a front-page story in the Ledger-Enquirer. And it certainly had some of my co-workers talking. One guessed there would be plenty of interest because "the Bill Heard name as a legacy." Uhhhh - really that's in reverse.

Another co-worker thought it might be fun if a rap star bought the Bill Heard mansion. Considering the online listed price was 18 million dollars, I doubt 50 Cent would have been a serious bidder.

Yet when the late-morning auction of the Bill Heard mansion came, there was only one bidder. Only one -- after being mentioned on the front page of the newspaper? No wonder Internet advertising is booming....

The only bid for the big mansion on Big Eddy Court was made by Columbus Bank and Trust, at about $7.7 million. You can't beat those half-price specials in January, you know....

But perhaps we're making a big assumption here. Can CB&T afford to pay more than seven million dollars for a mansion? Parent company Synovus is setting aside around $800 million in reserves, to handle foreclosed homes in metro Atlanta. Maybe the displaced homeowners will move into the mansion, for a new reality TV show.

(Come to think of it, I should have put in a bid for this mansion. You know, a 500-dollar "low-ball" bid. If Synovus couldn't close the deal, I'd get the century's biggest steal.)

It's not clear at this point what CB&T plans to do with the seven-bedroom, nine-bath, five-acre property. Several ideas come to mind....

+ A private retreat for Synovus executives. That hand-crafted table from the bank board room would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.

+ Clear out some of the walls. In no time at all, you'd have a new northside sports arena for the Cottonmouths.

+ Do what several Columbus landlords would do. Convert it into a five-unit apartment building.

+ Quietly sell the mansion to a celebrity. Now Rod Hood has some incentive to lead the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

-> Our other blog starts with poker, and goes in unusual directions from there. See what we mean at "On the Flop!" <--

BLOG UPDATE: So much for avoiding crime by using the restaurant drive-through lane. Opelika Police say someone walked up to a drive-through customer at a Taco Bell Monday night with a shotgun, and demanded the customer's wallet. This is why you should ask for extra packets of hot taco sauce, and keep them stashed in the glove compartment for squirting.

Now for other news from Tuesday, which was our sixth anniversary of blogging....

+ Former Phenix City Manager Bubba Roberts filed a claim with the city for more than $194,000. Roberts says he has that much coming for a "retaliatory discharge" by the city council. Is this the proper 2009 way to say "you're fired"?

(The Phenix City Council turned down Bubba Roberts's claim. That could open the door for Roberts to sue the city. The way it's worked out for Councilor Max Wilkes and City Clerk Charlotte Sierra, Phenix City could become the best bailout spot this side of the Potomac River.)

+ The evening news showed former Columbus Urban League President Ken Crooks, shopping for a digital television converter box. And you thought that organization had its "big switch" after Reginald Pugh took over....

+ WRBL reported Bi-City Transportation plans daily shuttle bus service between Columbus and the Kia plant in West Point. Is this really a good idea? People will have to hitch a ride, to get the rest of the way to the Atlanta airport.

+ Reports from Auburn indicated Ted Roof will be hired as the college football team's defensive coordinator. Roof had that job this past season at Minnesota. After watching my beloved Kansas score six touchdowns against Minnesota in the Insight Bowl, I think it's time to adjust some schedules for 2010.

+ Georgia blew an early lead in men's basketball, and lost to Georgia Tech 67-62. In the last seven weeks the Yellowjackets have beaten the Bulldogs in football, then both women's and men's basketball -- leaving Georgia fans as red with embarrassment as their outfits.

+ Instant Message to Childcare Network on Weems Road: I'm shocked - SHOCKED! I mean, that sign advertising "Two year old slots available." What sort of games are you teaching our children?! If I hear about any field trips to Victoryland....

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