Bad enough the golf course produces more red ink than a Chinese flag factory, but now they're sucking the lifeblood from other departments.
Because the foundering LSSE Recreation Empire is down ten$ of thousand$ they can't afford to spruce up the golf course, so the Town Manager orders the DPW Parks and Recreation Department to drop everything, run out to North Amherst and get the business ready for its Grand Opening (in two days.)
Forget the town common, the ball fields, or the soccer fields; in the People's Republic of Amherst when a White Elephant bellows--you run!
On a losing course at the half way point
22 comments:
I find it amazing how a town that chants "social justice" in its sleep is willing to re-direct resources that would help lots of low income people into a golf course that really only benefits the rich.
BTW, how much did the Lincoln Avenue stunt cost last fall? Commercial rate for a loader is $100/hour and they had a lot of heavy equipment tied up lugging the barriers around.
Amherst, a town where the poor subsidize the rich, and the rich mouth "social justice" mantras.
Drive down any road - Lincoln Avenue is a good example - and look at who has a green sign and who has a yellow one. The people who will pay the least (in actual dollars) are the most opposed to this override because THEY DON'T HAVE TRUST FUNDS!
Money speaks in Amherst....
If the white elephant is to have any prayer of generating income, it does need a bath and a trim before opening day. Of the other facilities you mentioned, methinks the golf course is the only one (theorectically) capable of making money?
How much does the town pull in for the use of the potwine fields? Lsse, travel soccer, ultimate...it adds up I'd hope.
I love Cherry Hill. Hooray for opening day!
Yes the golf course does need maintenance but that should come out of it's operating budget. If it is self maintaining it should have no problem doing this. The public fields in Amherst are for use of all it's residents not just golfers and it should be maintained out of taxpayer funds.
I take exception to your statement that the public fields are for all its residents and the golf course for golfers. If I don't place baseball, soccer, tennis, swim, horseback ride, are all of those venues for "me"?
You don't have to play sports to enjoy the fields. What the previous posters are exposing is out of the tax dollars we pay, who which rescources get used and by who. I don't have hard numbers but would guess the fields get much more use by the general public AKA Amherst tax payers than the golf course does. Here is yet one more example why I will vote NO on the override. I would much rather have the recreational areas taken care of for the masses of taxpayers and their families, than pay to have our DPW become greens keepers for the "money making" Cherry Hill.
Daler
I don't have kids in the schools, and am too old for soccer. I'm glad the town is paying for something I actually use.
Yeah, I'm sure you are. And if there were ENOUGH of you paying daily or for Season Passes then the golf course wold be revenue neutral. But it's not.
So at this point (and this point is 23 years AFTER the town absorbed the golf course for $2.2 million in 1987 dollars) taxpayers continue to subsidize your recreational pasttime.
As someone with a degree from venerable Umass/Amherst in Sports Management I can assure you that Daler is correct: there are soooooo many recreational opportunities available for the masses (especially children) that are a LOT CHEAPER than golf.
If the town puts up a Velodrome at Cherry Hill I promise to vote "Yes" on the overidel
You could go for a walk at the town parks but if you sit on your ass all day I quess there is nothing the town could provide for you in terms of recreation. I quess they could pay for you cable tv watching bill.
Actually I was amazed 25 years or so ago when I was taking one of the required Sports Management courses and the Prof asked what the "number one recreation activity in America was?"
I of course guessed "running". Some guessed "bowling" and maybe somebody suggested "golf". Turns out the correct answer was "dining out."
Hmmm...I never thought of food as recreation (certainly not exercise).
So yeah, maybe the town should open a five star restaurant. Oddly enough the now extinct Cherry Hill Advisory Committee ten years ago wanted to build a multi-million dollar clubhouse with fancy restaurant. Yikes!
I hear if you eat celery you expend more energy than consume. I would think TV watching would be the most popular recreation. Maybe if Amherst keeps providing us such interesting material blogging here will rank up there as recreation.
Oh...you ain't seen nothin yet.
Scares even me.
Ed is so friggan on it's incredible.
Thanks Ed!
On what????
Taxpayer subsidize the reading of books by funding the town library too. A municipal golf course, especially one that practically breaks even, is a great asset for our town. It's also not going away so get over it. You are just a sore loser and on this issue you lost.
No your wrong, Larry didn't lose. We the taxpayers lost, lost alot of money to provide recreation for the few.Don't get me wrong, I think a town golf course is great, I think a town velodrome would be great, I think a town BMX park would be great, I think illuminated cross country ski trails would be great, I think a town theater and performance hall would be great. Great only if you can afford it.
Yeah, remember when the Happy Heads first purchased the Amherst Cinema and wanted to make it a $10 or $12 million Performing Arts center?
If not for Barry Roberts it would still be sitting there, decaying.
Ed is so friggan on it's incredible
Air Force has a saying:
"If they are shooting at you, it means that you are over the target."
Seems to me that I must be over the target and a threat to someone....
A lot more people use Cherry Hill than Kendrick park which also requires town upkeep. Quite complaining, instead play a round of golf at Cherry Hill and enjoy the great view.
Sorry I don't play golf and not interested but enjoy your game I'm happy to subsidize your rounds. Too bad I'm going to cut out my hobbies that I pay out of pocket for.
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