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Health & Fitness

City Council should've yelled "Fore!" before buying that golf course…

A “heads up” would’ve been appropriate before the City of Winder spent almost $1 million on The Chimneys golf course. That’s right, this $923,000 purchase was made recently…Here’s how it breaks down: $600,000 on the golf course purchase; $150,000 in operating costs; $160,000 for landscaping equipment; and, $13,000 for a three-year radio contract to operate the irrigation equipment.

That doesn’t include the city labor that has gone into cutting down 50 trees and cleaning up golf course landscape and that’s just so far.

I have nothing against golf or golfers. I do have a problem with the city getting into the golf course business without consulting Winder citizens. I don’t recall reading anything in the papers about the possible golf course purchase. I recall reading about it after it happened.

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When was this purchase discussed, by whom, and what were the discussion points? What was the justification for making this purchase? Were feasibility studies done? What are the revenue projections for The Chimneys? How long until the city’s money is recouped and profit starts to either pour or trickle in?

Apparently, the city already owns the land The Chimneys is on; a city spray field is there. The golf course itself was privately owned and when it failed financially, Winder stepped in to save the golf course. A wise investment? That’s my point. We don’t know because we weren’t told. All we heard was that we bought a golf course.

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Winder owning The Chimneys could turn out to be one of the best money making moves the city has made – or – it could be an expensive disaster. We citizens deserved a presentation of the pros and cons with regard to the proposed golf course purchase before it happened. We also deserved a chance to ask our questions, express our concerns and voice our opinions.

The golf course purchase (like the $58,000 “Welcome Sign” purchase, see prior post) is indicative of a pattern in our current city government. The council buys things without consulting the citizens – expensive things. This is wrong.

Will The Chimneys purchase turn out to be a hole in one or a sand trap? That remains to be seen. What I do know is that as your councilman, I promise to yell “Fore!” before these kinds of purchases just happen.    

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