**Rumor Alert.
Admittedly I have not followed the golf course proposal as closely as others, but I know enough to say that it is not a well thought out idea, probably even a bad one. Why? Because the city has no expertise in maintaining golf courses. Surprisingly to yours truly, while monitoring some email chatter that I am cc'ed on, I learned that the city apparently owns Eisenhower Golf Course and leases it to the county. So I guess we are already in the golf business....on property that not even within our city limits! Heck, take my tax money and let's buy a golf course in a sister city!
Anyway, rumor has it that the Director of Rec and Parks, LeeAnn Plumer, was asked to weigh in on whether or not she thought it was a good idea, and she responded via a memo that it would be better to buy 1,000 "Golden Tee" Arcade Golf Games and hand them out, as maintaining an actual golf course with actual grass, sand, and water would stretch the already thin resources of the department. (Note, I added the Golden Tee deal for dramatic effect.) Were such a memo to exist, it would certainly be a nice thing to read.
But let's just forget that for now, and consider that nobody really knows exactly how the city would or could run a golf course. There are certainly costs involved, which means that the city could very well lose (your) money through the operation of something which it has no business operating.
If Mrs. Politics is reading this, hopefully she can buy me a new set of golf clubs so that I have more vested interest in this potential debacle.
5 comments:
What about the idea of the City buying the course and turning it into a passive recreation park?
That idea is at least more palatable. I believe the course would be purchased with "Project Open Space" money, which would imply such a use for the property anyway.
I'm not opposed to open space, parks, etc., especially if it is passive (i.e requires less than $5000 of city maintenence per year), but the fact that the city is the bidder for this and developers/other people have not bought it yet makes me think the city is overpaying.
It depends what it is currently zoned. If it is zoned "open space", its market value is essentially nothing more than the value one can get by operating a golf course there. It would have no development value. Do you happen to know the current zoning on the parcel?
This isn't about golf or open space. This purchase would let the city extend its bountaries and opportunities to develop more off Forest Drive. Someone's going to make big bucks off this. Follow the money.
Beware, Annapolis Roads. the city is coming for you.
Another Anon
So thats it. It isn't the golf course, its any property near it that could be annexed and developed once the city owns it. Makes sense now
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