Chip Worrell tries (and misses) again...

*Sigh* . . .  Chip Worrell tries (and misses) again:

To: The citizenry in Flat Rock Village.

A few months ago, you could have had a free park where Highland Lake golf course now stands. The only thing the county and the soccer association wanted was to let kids play soccer games there 20-25 days a year.

Now I see where the debate is on how much more than a million dollars it is going to cost the village. Seems like a high price to pay just to keep the riff-raff out. You have my sympathies.

Sincerely,
Chip

Okay, where to start the fisking?

A few months ago, you could have had a free park where Highland Lake golf course now stands.

And this statement illustrates perfectly why our country is in the financial shape it's in now. No one would have had a "free park." Henderson County taxpayers, including those in Flat Rock, would have paid $1.1 million for the land and who knows how many millions more to develop the soccer complex. If anything, the residents of Flat Rock saved Henderson County taxpayers millions of dollars.

The only thing the county and the soccer association wanted was to let kids play soccer games there 20-25 days a year.

This is patently untrue.

Yes, the county and the Henderson County Soccer Association (HCSA) talked about "only" 20-25 tournament days, the days when there would be the most traffic, noise, and congestion because of the regional influx of players and their families, but the plan was always to have local soccer groups using the fields year-round for practice and local games. Why would the county have wanted to spend millions for only 25 days of play a year?

Now I see where the debate is on how much more than a million dollars it is going to cost the village.

You know, there's great concept out there called subsidiarity:

Subsidiarity is the idea that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Any central authority should perform only those things that cannot be performed effectively at a more local level. Henderson County here is the more central, larger authority with the Village of Flat Rock as the smaller and more local authority. Local municipalities (which Flat Rock has been legally since its 1995 incorporation) should control as much as possible what goes on inside their own municipal boundaries. From a governmental perspective, subsidiarity better represents the authority closest to the people and therefore is most reflective of local will.

The fact that the village of Flat Rock wants to control what happens inside its municipal boundaries, especially on such a visible piece of property as the Highland Lake Golf Club as an entrance into the village, is exactly what local governments should be doing.

The final decision on whether to purchase the property has yet to be made and there are concerns about the costs, especially the on-going maintenance costs, but if the village decides to spend the money to buy and develop a park, it is their decision. If that is what the residents think will enhance their quality of life, then they, and only they, are responsible for financing it. The village is not asking the county or any other governmental agency to shoulder the costs. This is called responsible government.

Seems like a high price to pay just to keep the riff-raff out.

And this is just rude.

Does Mr. Worrell think soccer players are riff-raff? If the village decides to create a park on the golf course space, it will be a public park, open to all. To imply otherwise is defamatory and beneath a journalist.

You have my sympathies.

We appreciate your concern, but don't worry about us. The village of Flat Rock has put in place a very transparent and open process to make this decision and we'll be just fine, whichever way the decision goes.