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ITEMS FROM THE TENNESSEE RESIDENCE TO BE AUCTIONED ONLINE

Tennesseans Can Purchase Items from the Residence at Govdeals.com

4/19/2006

First Lady of Tennessee Andrea Conte today announced that items from The Tennessee Residence are posted for sale online at GovDeals.com, a Web site which provides governmental agencies an outlet to sell items via the Internet.

The first set of items posted for sale on the site range from construction materials to more mechanical items, including ceiling medallions, marble countertops, plantation shutters and French doors. Also included in the first sale are a Jacuzzi, a sauna, and a pool table from the recreation room. Furniture and other mechanical supplies will be included in additional postings of items to be sold on the site. Additional announcements will be made as these items are posted for sale.

“I hope Tennesseans will take advantage of this unique opportunity to purchase a piece of history from The Tennessee Residence,” said First Lady Andrea Conte. “When we began construction on Phase I of the restoration project, we discovered many items would have to be removed from the Residence. We wanted to give Tennesseans an opportunity to see the items being removed and have the opportunity to purchase them. We chose GovDeals.com as the best method to accomplish this based on its state-of-the-art capability to host online auctions of governmental property.”

As of April 19, 2006, an online auction of the Tennessee Residence items will begin at GovDeals.com. Interested bidders can find these items for sale at the following site: http://Residence.govdeals.com.

The residence items will be available for auction for 16 calendar days. While it is not necessary to register on GovDeals.com to review the property for sale, interested bidders must register to purchase items. It takes between three and five business days for a registration to become active. Once interested bidders have received their registration information, they can visit GovDeals.com to login and bid on items for sale.

All items for sale will be available for inspection at the State of Tennessee’s Property Utilization Warehouse on Centennial Boulevard. Once an auction is closed, winning bidders will have seven calendar days to pay for and pick up the item.

As a reminder, state employees are not permitted to bid on GovDeals.com during work hours or using state computers or other state equipment. They are permitted to bid on GovDeals.com during their personal time, using personal computers.

All proceeds from the sale of the items will be earmarked to support the Tennessee Residence.

In January 2003, Andrea Conte made restoring and preserving Tennessee’s Residence a priority issue for the Office of the First Lady. Ten months later, she and Governor Bredesen unveiled a plan that had been developed for restoring the residence that would provide contemporary updates while preserving the historic integrity of the house and property. While the plan outlines four phases, the major emphasis is on making key repairs to The Tennessee Residence.

Tennessee’s Residence, originally referred to as “Far Hills” because of its beautiful view, was built in 1929 by the William Ridley Wills family, and was purchased by the state of Tennessee following the death of Mr. Wills in 1949. The third and only remaining Governor’s Residence in the state, it has hosted numerous events and celebrities during its 55 years as the state’s Executive Residence. The house has been visited by famous people such as the Reverend Billy Graham, Elvis Presley, President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, President and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, and numerous governors and royalty from around the world.

To make a donation to the restoration, or for more information about the project, please call the Office of the First Lady at (615) 741.7846. To make an online donation, go to www.tnanytime.org/exres/.