Posted on 09/26/2007 2:17:24 PM PDT by Dubya
Gov. Rick Perry and wife, Anita, will move out of the 150-year-old Gov.'s Mansion next month and into a three-story, limestone home with four bedrooms, a heated pool and an outdoor cabana.
The state will pony up $9,900-a.m.onth in rent for at least a year while the Gov.'s Mansion undergoes renovations starting next month. The 6,386 square foot home in a posh west Austin neighborhood has been listed on the market for more than a year, with the most recent asking price $1.85 million.
The home with "luxurious Texas styling" sits on 3.25 acres and has pecan hardwood floors, a gourmet kitchen with marble countertops and another kitchen outside by the pool. It includes a subzero refrigerator, a balcony and a third-story attic converted to a game room. A separate guest house will be used as staff quarters.
All four bedrooms in the home are upstairs, a feature Perry liked, said spokesman Robert Black. The upstairs bedrooms give the family "a level of privacy" while hosting guests, he said.
The Perrys will move into the house by the first part of October, Black said.
Rent for the new residence is part of the estimated $10 million in renovation costs. Perry is required by law to live in Austin while governor.
The Gov.'s Mansion, a designated National Historic Landmark, is set for a facelift starting this fall. In addition to new plumbing, the project will include lead and asbestos abatement and an effort to preserve some of the historic pine wood used around the windows.
The new home is surrounded by a wrought iron fence within a gated community, another feature that appealed to Perry, Black said.
"Security was one of the driving factors," he said. "Being able to use it for the functions one might expect of the first family of Texas and all of the logistics that go with that."
The home is being leased from Murell Campbell through his daughter and son-in-law, Melinda and Guy Grace. Grace has contributed $2,500 a year to Perry's campaign every year since 2005, but Black said Perry has not met Grace.
The county tax office appraised the value of the home at $1.004 million.
Public Servants Quarters.
I don’t like Gov. Good Hair, and even doubt his sexuality, but he is the head of a large business essentially (that being the governmetn of Texas) and this is the kind of perk CEOs get. Not out of line, really.
To defray costs, we should turn his driveway into a toll road.
Wasn’t it then Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee that moved into a triple wide trailer while their Governor’s Mansion was renovated?
We could sure use one like him. We are stuck with money bags.
You may well be right MWT, but the way I feel about elected officials, judges and bureaucrats lately, I'd just as soon see them sleeping in lean-to's (if not cemeteries).
Bump that. I wouldn’t doubt he’s getting kickbacks from Spain already due to the Trans Texas Corridor.
No tell me it ain't soooo. Doesn't he know fence are only good for ladder makers. [sarcs]
I didn't know he stayed in America more than 30 days year.
Very good idea.
These politicians really are removed from the real world. Meanwhile the average taxpayer lives uninsulated from illegals and other criminals.
So what!
“I’d just as soon see them sleeping in lean-to’s”
Well, Sukkot IS approaching, perhaps you could move to Israel.
(Jewish joke, if too obscure, google).
Great idea! Because this driveway is probably longer than the new toll intervals on 183 there should be at least 2 toll booths.
They government appears to be doing quite well.
I thought that was one of the reasons why we parted company with the British.
Cintra-Zachry (Madrid, Spain)
So while TTC-35 commits to construct $8 billion in infrastructure Cintra-Zachry expects to collect $114 billion in toll revenues as shown in the preliminary plan.
Hey maybe someone can “condemn” the property for the NAFTA Superhighway....
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