What a stunt! Henderson County commissioners have a fuss of their own making on their hands now. A real Pandora's box.Read it all.
I'm talking about buying the golf course in Flat Rock and turning it into a soccer complex. There are several things questionable about this move, one of which is not bothering to ask Flat Rock leaders what they might think of it. Flat Rock Mayor Bob Staton said Flat Rock officials and Flat Rock residents were not consulted when the deal was going down. Yet Chairman Mike Edney says the leaders were informed. Somebody is lying. Who?...
There are three communities that would be directly impacted. Residents claim a soccer complex could bring unwanted noise, crime, nighttime lighting and traffic issues.
I'm not sure about crime, but all the rest is definitely going to happen. The worst thing is the idea of turning night into day with the lighting. Clement Riddle, president of Henderson County Soccer Association, says not to worry. There are no plans to light the fields because of the huge cost. Ah yes, well and good, but then he goes on to say there is "lots of room for negotiation with homeowners" if and when lighting is pursued years down the road.
Dearly beloved, what does all that mish-mash mean? Lots of room — negotiation — homeowners — if and when — pursued years, etc., etc.
It means you can bet your sweet little booties there are gonna be lights! And lots of them! And how do you negotiate about stadium lights for heaven's sake? You have a choice of waaaaaaay too much or just a little waaaay too much. What nonsense.
Now it turns out that the property isn't zoned for a soccer park,...
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Stephen Black: Soccer complex deal wrong on many levels
From Stephen Black, columnist for the Times-News:
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Stephen Black, some great points there.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would be interested in seeing Henderson County tax payers demand is an accounting of how much it would cost to transform this land from a serviceable but not fancy golf course, into some sort of state of the art soccer facility.
We are talking about a TON of money. And then let's take a look at maintenance costs. This land is not conducive to growing grass with the consistency and critical mass necessary for good soccer fields. I would not be surprised if actual costs were 5X what the county is budgeting.
As I've said before, Highland Lake Golf Course embodies all of what golf should be about.
- fun
- accessible
- inclusive
- inexpensive
- not overly maintained
- a great place for beginners to learn the game
- a great place for family fun
- a great place to get youth into the game
I think Job-1 should be finding a way to keep this facility operating as a golf course.