WPCNR In The Clubhouse. By Bob and Jenny Petrucci, "Mr. and Mrs. Golf." September 5, 2004: It is time to clarify a word used by the county and certain legislators. More and more, we hear that county golf courses will be "privatized", starting with Maple Moor in January 2005, just as they did with Hudson Hills this year.
I am reminded by an economist associate-friend that they are NOT being "privatized", per say.
Are the courses being sold? NO. The county/parks dept still has final say on all things golf. The courses are being given, on concession, to a group to "run" them.
In other words, county courses are being "concessionized".
Why is that important? Because that is the WORST possible scenario for all county golfers, resident voters, county employees, etc.
Fees (yet again) will go up, just as they already have at Hudson Hills whose weekend fees alone started at THREE times the fees of the other courses. There have already been more than 90 different fee increases on county courses in recent years.
County employees will be laid off, just as non-county employees are being used at Hudson Hills. This is a despicable form of union-busting.
The county said that Hudson Hills is to be "self-sufficient" or whatever term they use, meaning that it is not to lose money or require a tax levy increase. Well, that is an already in question since it is reported that they achieved only 25,000 rounds of golf (on a $15-17 million elite, financially-exclusionary MUNICIPAL golf course that is in violation of state law because it was done at that cost without voter approval-referendum).
What's more, Hudson Hills was built primarily for non-residents (says so in Parks Board Minutes). And then when they didn't show because they thought it a poor product value at $100 on weekend days, the county raised everyone's fees there by $5. How convoluted.
Danbury a Model.
"SELF-SUBSIDIZED" is different...as at the prototype municipal course Richter Park in Danbury, whose weekend fees are about $20 for residents. And Richter is a top10 nationally-rated municipal golf course. And...it makes money; whatever comes in, stays in. It is responsible for its own existence...in every way. Period. In other words, no tax levy is charged their residents for it (By the way, the Westchester parks dept will get a "modest" tax levy INCREASE for next year).
If Richter (and Spook Rock in Suffern) can do it successfully, why can't Westchester County. The answer: It can; It simply doesn't want to.
As is Putnam National
And then there's Putnam National, with course fees well less than ours...and they were in the black a couple of months ago.
And then, of course, there is the $600 Season Pass which would help put county golf in the black (for the first time in this administration) in the first month, with all other fees being gravy, bringing back many of those 90,000 lost rounds (due to poor value county golf), increasing cart usage, pro shop usage, restaurant usage, etc. etc...from which the county makes even more money.
Further, a majority of the county legislators (from both sides) like the $600 Season Pass idea including County Legislators Latimer and LaMott. Why? because everybody wins. Why wouldn't the county be making millions of dollars with it, LOWERING property taxes (instead of increasing them...yet again).
Schwartz Has a High Handicap in Managing Golf Courses?
Acting County Executive Schwartz, who is well-known to be calling the county golf shots (all worm-burners we say), has done absolutely none of those things which are proven successful, professional, marketing practices. He has lost money each and every year of his golf regime. He should be fired now.
It seems more and more apparent that he is out to union-bust the county employees' union and to restrict access to county municipal courses (discriminate) to the "better, and well to do".
And none of that is not what "municipal" was intended to be. So again, we urge a full investigation on county golf, including the Board of Legislators' Parks Subcommittee.
Bob and Jenny Petrucci
County Residents Protection Alliance
Resident Golfers Protection Group
