“Fear mongering” and “bailout” are terms lifted from politics that the “no” side has been using in the debate concerning saving the Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club. What have not been presented are alternative solutions to the reality that the TLGCC will cease operations.
Another golf course crisis is taking place on the outskirts of our own neighborhood at the North Shore Golf Course — talk to anyone who lives there. Yes, they have won a round in the battle to keep a developer from creating overcrowding and traffic issues in their own neighborhood (they had to raise the funds to pay the attorneys — oops, sorry! Fear mongering), but that doesn’t mean that the golf course will continue their operation. The residents are still faced with the potential of the golf course’s cessation of business and infestations of rodents, coyotes and other critters from the land turning into an empty lot.
Twin Lakes neighbors — what does it cost you to have your yard mowed and maintained if you don’t do it yourselves? Fifty bucks a month? Or $150? Even if you do not live on the fairways, think about what it will cost you to maintain a green belt, which some well intended people suggest we turn the golf course into. But, the homeowners do not have control of the golf course, and even if we controlled it and turned it into a green belt, what will become of our fees for the landscaping services? Does $25 a month look better?
There is not a “status quo” regarding this matter. Things will change when the club ceases operations. Either your fees will increase by $25, or we will chose to do battle with the next issue to threaten property values, traffic, fees, safety and security.
Someone suggested that we partner with a developer so we can control the outcomes of the golf course property. There isn’t a developer in the world who would partner with more than 1,300 homeowners. We have a problem unifying behind a single cause — like saving the golf course.
The Twin Lakes golf course is known among golfers in this region to be a very narrow course. Think about what a developer would have to do to build houses, streets, sidewalks and leave enough room for a little yard where we now have fairways. Even if a developer is willing to step up in this downward trending economy, they will have years of planning and dealing with authorities, which will take a lot of time before a shovel is employed. What happens to our greenbelt during that time? Nothing happens, nothing. No trimming, no irrigation and no clean-up.
If this is random fear mongering and bailout tactics to you, please come up with some realistic solutions instead of wishful thinking — “no” is not an alternative.
Matt Sato, Twin Lakes
