Daily Journal Continued July 31,1998, By-William Thomas Thompson We will never live this day again,so make the best of it. Friday the last day of July and how will I spend it. I could have stayed in Florida but it was so so hot,I decided at about noon to drive home. The last 2 nights I spend at the motel,I was not very comfortable partly because I could hear diesel engines running all night and the highway traffic. The pressure of writing and all the things I need to do at home plus the comfort of sleeping in my own bed influenced me to head North stopping only at the Farmers market in Jacksonville where even there it was slim pick- ings because it is too hot and out of season. Feeling somewhat a failure and puzzled at the fact of the fort,I find it hard to let God always fight my battles. I want to get in there slinging at it myself. When I see a property I like and in a place I love thats available,then I think,why not. In this case,I believe I went in too fast without checking out all the facts that make the difference in success and failure. If the prophecy I paint about is to be fulfilled so soon,then I could not paint it all in time. I wonder where did I go wrong Lord. Maybe it is not over yet. It is dark and rainy looking this morning. It seems that when I get out in the Florida sun,that it thins me hair and makes me bad. Jonah 1-2,"Arise,go to Nineveh,that great city,and cry" If anything cost money then leave it alone. Do not sign anything because you become co-liable for land and maybe to clean up old pollution underground that you may never see. Be free. Obligate to no one but God our Master. If we completely surrender all our cares to the Lord God,then we can rest and live in His glory. If we indulge in material things like houses or lands,we are marked with the mark and the devils dollar is chasing us nonstop daily. "against it;for their wickedness is come up before me" To rehab the fort,the county lords require complete engineering plans on the entire 10 acres and this must be approved by every conceivable department of every government. This is the mark I believe we have been waiting and looking for and fearing to be. The submittal of plans required to occupy the fort or even to live there or put a mobile home in there begin with approval of The county water management district,Florida department of Trans-portion,Department of Environmental Regulation,Department of Nat- ural Resources and the U.S.Army Corp of Engineers. Full engineer- ing plans must be submitted. Fema flood zone map with boundaries delineated,Scs soil map,most recent aerial photos,stormwater cal- culations,6 sets of constructions plans,a detail site plan,a land clearing plan,water utility and sewer utility outline,parking re-quirements,fire service requirements. I keep thinking there is a simpler way to do this. All this pressure is not helping my hands or my feet. I want to do it but nothing has worked yet. Satan is well rooted in St.Augustine and truth is hard to instill. I will continue to work and pray for this to be if it be God's will. I will meanwhile continue to paint and write my feelings daily to express the visions I see and wait on the Lord to move the mount- ains that block progress in a vast display of the Word in color with the impact and the Spirit I feel for the art and the message that burns in my soul. I have faced the impossible many times be- fore. God lives and is on the throne,Dear Lord,please make a way. Mr. Buck McIntosh July 31,1998 13825 Beach Blvd. Jacksonville,Fla.32224 Dear Buck Re;Fort Enterprises,Inc. Thank you for coming down to meet me on Thursday. I was surprised to see Dominick with you because it confuses the issue but you may feel you need him for your witness. I put things in writing so as not to be misquoted. It has been said that a person can only remember the truth,so if one tells a story different each time,it may be that he/she does not remember how it was told be- fore. Mr. Dominick said last year that he was 76 and on Thurday 78. It is no good to shout at each other whose right or wrong. I value your friendship and understand that you have had an offer on the place of 1.4 million or so. This may explain why you have objected to my building a containment lake or two as required to meet code. With all the talk,I did not answer your question as to what happened. I was still hoping to go forward with the project with some understanding from you but now I am relieved at the thought of not having the struggle. My purpose is to paint huge outdoor Christian art. I feel a missionary call to do this and I have felt this is the place. The question by Mr.Dom asking,if all the money collected for the poor get to the poor,seems to be an attack upon my mission. I say 50-70 percent most likely does not reach the poor and needy and that includes the United Fund. This is my opinion. As for that man on the highway out there,I have learned that the real needy do not ask for anything. I see Many with signs"will work for money"but will not. I see con-artist out there everyday. It is not my intend to be taken by such games. The real issue here is the lease and the question you ask of me about rent. I had writen my case in two letters to you but did not want to offend you or appear too legal,so I did not give them to you. It is no big problem for me to lose. I felt that I should not be charged for time when the fort was flooded. Also,I thought I had leased it all and needed the East end to properly do the nature walk of art on the fence. In checking the plats I discover 23 foot difference in the lease highway frontage and the plats of 753 feet but still the rented building is well within my lease and only you know what you have collected off it from January. I see no exclusion of this corner on the East side and I never dis-cussed excluding it with you. The intent was to lease the intire property that is fenced in by wall or chain. There is also no default clause in the lease. The lease also provides for an in- definite holding time in case I encounter trouble with the county in getting approval to use the property. I intended to use it as is with repair to the buildings that are. The only hope to get it grandfathered in,as they call it,is that corner is still being occupied. When I mentened this possibity to Dave,he understood and agreed that this may be a possibility. As to the subject of wet,I remember no mention of wet but in this case,flooded would have better described the fort grounds during the Winter months. continued on Page 2 page 2 I consider the lease never activated fully until you vacate the tombstone tenant and get Dom and his stuff out. I was given a key along with others. You surely knew that it is impossible to meet code to occupy this property without special concessions. The old building on the tomestone site is falling in from the outside as you know,it is dangerous to walk near to it. Even if all of the other repair was done,You could not open to the public with this awful looking mess. I have had to contend with locals that refer to Dom as dishonest and the image of FleaMarket on this place. I feel that you deserve an answer to your question. I feel that I must state my case clearly. The lease is in writing and is not whatever happens in standing there talking or whatever suits the occasion. Any lease must correspond with county regulations. A list of about 40 people that must approve everything including the Army Core of Engineers in the very first drainage control. This property cannot be legally leased to occupy because it does not meet code from underground up. It cannot be occcupied as is. Getting anything approved is certainly a major problem because to occupy it at all one must go through all the regulations. You would not sell a car that could not be licensed to drive on the road without telling the buyer. Why will you lease land that floods in the Winter and cannot be occupied at anytime without a restructuring of the earth,without telling me the truth? Making it legal is something you need to do. I have a feeling you have been this route before and that it is no surprise to you. Sincerely William Thompson P.O. Box 776 Taylors,S.C.29687