Let's not forget the lost property tax revenue from the sale of the golf course. Funny how it was reported as though this is done, when it's far from done. This can be stopped and must be.
Fletcher almost chased away ArvinMeritor and cost hundreds of jobs to get that and since they exchanged 90 acres in exchange for delayed annexation. The soccer community was all for it then, got a sweetheart rent deal, and now it's not good enough?
No, Commissioners need to back out of this deal just like the soccer community backed out of the Fletcher deal.
If they want that course that bad, let THEM pay for it, go to a bank, get a loan privately and run it privately. They don't want that because they know it'll bleed money and want county taxpayers to cover the losses.
Artificial turf is overall the better value by far, and can be built at our four existing high schools, with lights, parking, bathrooms, concessions, etc. We're going to end up doing it anyway, so why not rent those fields out on weekends and summer? We would save a fortune in maintenence costs compared to grass fields, no water, no pesticides, fix things like the track at H'ville High, etc.
Unneeded fiefdom building, that is what this is. The soccer complex is exactly one mile from East Flat Rock Park.
Even if you didn't go with turf, the Fletcher site would not have been opposed like the Flat Rock property was. Just GIVE the soccer community the land, let them get a private loan and run it themselves, and wash our hands of this.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Comment from Dennis Justice
A little more history here from Dennis Justice, as posted in the comments:
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I also found out at the Assessors office today that the estimated property tax this year (just the County) was $5,500. This does not include the Flat Rock tax in which my calculation (if correct) is around $900. So over 10 years this is a total property tax loss of at least $60K. This does not include the water costs.
ReplyDelete(Don't forget the Balfour School is trying to win a contest from Clorox for $50K to fix a horrible gym with a "non-regulation" basketball court.)
Take whatever operating losses they estimate (ha!) and multiply that by 10. Now ask yourselves when you total all of this why we can't just bite the bullet and go with artificial turf at high schools? It's becoming about the same amount and frankly it's NEEDED there NOW!
Don't forget they said this was a "no-brainer"...