By John Estridge
Technically, the Town of Brookville did not buy the Brook Hill Golf Club Tuesday night, August 24, but in every other way, it did.
It is just awaiting the signatures of the LLC that currently owns the golf course. I think it is safe to assume, they will take their $1 million and run, allowing us to own whatever is left up on Snob Hill.
In the course of the meeting, only one person stood up and spoke for the purchase of the golf course. Many, many people spoke against it. And it seemed that most of the people there, if not all but the one who spoke for it, were against it.
While the four town council members present and the one on the remote hookup did not speak while the many people spoke against purchasing the golf course, the council members obviously did not listen.
It was a unanimous vote to purchase the golf course.
Also, the town signed a nondisclosure agreement with the LLC, so the taxpayers are not privy to how much money was made or lost this year on the golf course by the LLC. I am going to check on the legality of that. BTC president Curtis Ward would not allow me to ask council’s attorney Tammy Davis. He was very stern and grim faced about that.
Nothing was said about the golf course’s infrastructure needs or costs. I really don’t think they have the vaguest idea about that.
Former FC Sheriff Ken Murphy asked Curtis about Curtis’ July 7, purchase of nine lots near the golf course and if that was the reason the golf course had to be purchased RIGHT NOW. Curtis said that was not the reason. But he did not really give the reason it had to be purchased RIGHT NOW.
To even write a full editorial, these are somethings I have to do:
- Cool down some
- And think about what all occurred tonight as well as what all was said. The people who came and let their opinions be heard were passionate. Also, I want to put as much as I can about what Curtis said in response.
Again, I don’t want to get too involved now, but we were told the Zimmer purchase is going to go forward even though council members do not know how much it will cost to upgrade the building for a police department.
With the police station moving off Main, where it has been since 1808, we will have another empty storefront on Main Street, but Curtis said there is a multi-facetted plan to fill that storefront once again. At some point we may be privy to it.
The annexation will occur.
And, this one really got me: The Frisbee golf course in the town park is going to be put in place as planned.
One of the nicest ladies in the world, let alone Brookville, Mary Alice Helms, went to the podium and gave a very well-thought-out and researched argument against putting a Frisbee golf course in a well-used town park with walking paths.
The entire night leading up to Mary Alice’s presentation, I thought — just to show Brookville residents they have a smidgen of compassion — the council members would agree with Helms and nix that plan.
But no.
We are also going to have a Frisbee golf course. Council member Cathy Pelsor dissented on that vote only. No other council members dissented on anything else during the long, baking night.
As I said: I will have an entire editorial in a day or two along with another article with what each person said to council and how council members – meaning Curtis – responded.
One thing the school board members said Monday night at their meeting that really stuck with me on Tuesday night. “There are many things we have no control of. We have to work on the things we control.”
And that is what I have to do now. And that is what the taxpayers of Brookville have to do now.
Good luck.
This is how things work in the big city….the council members have decided before the meeting how they are going to vote and if the councilperson in whose district the project is to located they all vote as that council person wants them too. I think it would be appropriate for the citizen of Brookville to know the financial details of the golf course, what shape it is in, etc. If the town council doesn’t want to disclose it there should be some way to find out those details. Can you obtain those details maybe from county tax records?? Cities here on the west coast, as elsewhere, own many golf courses, there are several in Griffith Park just across the river from where I live, and rakes in a lot of money from golfers and from the pro shops on the golf properties. I don’t know how many members this course has, if they have a pro shop, charge green fees, etc. but that should be disclosed. I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a disaster for the town of Brookville.