The Mt. Ogden Golf Course is again in the news this morning, with this Scott Schwebke story, reporting the latest "progress" by Boss Godfrey, in his ongoing effort to stanch the purported economic bleeding at Ogden's crown jewel foothill links. Somebody has whipped up a "business plan" to “tighten up” operational procedures at the golf course, Ace Reporter Schwebke reports; and according to this morning's story, the 14-page plan will be presented to the city council a week from tonight for "review."
We don't have our own copy of this report as yet, to submit for our gentle readers' careful analysis, so we'll rely on the few nuggets of information provided by Ace Reporter Schwebke, at least for the time being. The article does provide at least a few meager glimpses into the measures contained in the so-called "plan":
1) Ensuring that MOGC "does its part" to help the facility’s finances;This seems like pretty elementary stuff to us. If MOGC hasn't been already been implementing these measures, we think it's high time they did. These are all good ideas, but hardly the foundation for a brand new business plan, we suggest.
2) Insisting that all course patrons pay green fees;
3) Making sure the pro shop has merchandise on the shelves;
4) Keeping a lookout for players who pay for 9 holes but play 18;
5) Borrowing golf carts from the El Monte Course.
Although Mr. Schwebke's story doesn't make it clear whether Boss Godfrey's now-notorious "four options" have been included in the plan (Swebke mentions them in today's story,) our experience with the ever-conniving Boss Godfrey suggests they will. For those readers who haven't been closely following the MOGC story, we'll run them by again, in the manner set forth in an earlier WCF article:
1) Put the matter on the ballot and let the public decide whether to continue subsidizing the course through a blanket tax increase;It comes as no surprise that Boss Godfrey's preferred option is "door #2." He and his supporters make that abunduntly clear.
2) Ask the public to approve $6 million in bonding to redesign the course to make it more "playable";
3) Forget the whole thing and let it go back to "seed"; or,
4) Impose a Punitive Special Assessment District on the naysayer Mt. Ogden neighbors whose collective political action forced Boss Godfrey on the eve of the last election to abandon his scheme to sell the park to his crony Chris Peterson.
And it's even less of a surprise that today's Schwebke article contains this familiar journalistic boilerplate, which we've heard often enough to have it committed it to memory:
The course’s poor design makes it too difficult for the average golfer, and its inadequate clubhouse hampers the facility’s ability to host major tournaments that are crucial in helping it turn a profit, according to Godfrey.The Mayor claims he's still looking for citizen input. Note to Boss Godfrey: "Quit publicly slamming the golf course. Commit yourself instead to promoting its unique qualities."
And maybe it's just us, but we found this paragraph to be more than slightly ominous:
The mayor said his fiscal 2009 budget proposal will call for the city to continue to whittle away at Mount Ogden Golf Course’s growing debt. A more permanent solution for the course will be detailed in Godfrey’s fiscal 2010 budget request. [Emphasis added].So what's the real story? What "permanent solution" is hidden deeply behind Boss Godfrey's forehead? Could it be something perhaps involving his bumbling crony Chris Peterson -- and dreamy flatland/uphill aerial contraptions? Is there some reason that this page still appears on the Ogden City website?
We hereby open the floor, to entertain our readers' thoughts re this.
Don't let the cat get your tongues.
14 comments:
Wow, make sure patrons pay, no more free rounds, what a plan.
I am willing to bet that Godfreys pln is to redo the course and bond for more debt, so that the clubhouse will align with the free gondola for C Petersen.
Any bets?
Rudi:
You wrote: And it's even less of a surprise that today's Schwebke article contains this familiar journalistic boilerplate, which we've heard often enough to have it committed it to memory:
The course’s poor design makes it too difficult for the average golfer, and its inadequate clubhouse hampers the facility’s ability to host major tournaments that are crucial in helping it turn a profit, according to Godfrey.
It's not journalistic boilerplate. It's an accurate summary of what Godfrey says and the passage makes it very plain that it's Godfrey's views that are being summarized. Can't really blame the SE for accurately reporting the Mayor's claims. Mayoral boilerplate, yes. Journalistic boilerplate, no.
It's cut/paste verbiage that we've all seen before, Curm. That's what I meant by "boilerplate." Notably, Mr. Schwebke does append it with the words "according to Godfrey."
We did not intend, BTW, in our perhaps possibly clumsy choice of words, to have it consrtued as a slam on Schwebke.
Scott has been doing a danged fine job in his reporting lately, AFAWC, as we've remarked numerous times recently.
Rudi:
Ah. Sorry. I read it as a swipe. My bad.
This is too funny. I have no objection to the city's continuing subsidy of MOGC. Once again, it's one of those community amenities which make Ogden entirely "unique."
People who play golf, or people want to learn to play golf will inevitably play golf there.
Godfrey's general schpiel he wants to make Ogden "unique."
What's more unique than an alredy-existing mountain golf course, which challenges golfers to actually learn to play golf?
If you want to learn to play golf, The Mt. Ogden course is the place to go.
Meanwhile, we're forced to deal with other diversions, like the "Ice Tower."
Oh my!
Voting Demo:
Mrs. Curmudgeon [who does not play golf, nor do I] got in a coffee shoppe conversation with a guy who teaches golf, particularly to young people. He told her he much prefers MOGC as a venue for introducing young people to the game, for teaching them how to play. She asked why. His answer was: "If they learn to play at MOGC, they can then play, and play well, anywhere. It's like learning to drive on a stick shift. You can then drive any car. But if you learn on an automatic, you can only drive other automatics."
As I said, I don't play the game, but his point made sense to me.
Six weeks ago the golf course issue was an emergency. We had to take drastic action! It was so urgent that we couldn't even give the public a week's notice of the open house meeting.
And now we're settled in for the long term, planning to continue as before, budget-wise, for another year, while they work on a "business plan" to convince us that they're really trying hard to do better.
Maybe this business plan will help, as will the promised (still not delivered) redesigned web site. But for some reason I still get the impression that the mayor wants the golf course to fail.
Godfrey wants the golf course to be redesigned(slyly to include space for homesites no doubt) have the city become bogged down in that 6 million debt and be "forced" to sell it to Peterson who will rescue the city and score a redesigned golf course at discount.
We could pay for the so-called debit the couse runs if we terminate a few peolple of the crack development team working for the mayor. Their combined wages would more than cover the costs. With them not doing due diligence in the analysis of the Junction and other development we as taxpayers are covering the first 4 years of debt on the 20 year bond, $1.5 M just this past year. City council needs to look at the mayors budget with payroll and benfits and who he has hired and make sure they aren't family or croynism going on like some of the other small cities in Utah. Also if some of the department heads are driving Cadillac Escalades, maybe they should be more green and lease 2 Prius or other hybrids. The city should be tightning their belts like the taxpayers, less revenue means less the city has to spend on wants rather than needs.
The fire trucks need to be upgraded before we spend more money on plush transportation for the administration.
Also if they decide to move the clubhouse, then a condition to widen 36th street from Washington should be written into the proposal. I drive 36th daily and the traffic can be hazardous especially with this being the main route to the college. I don't know why they widen 30th and bypassed 36th.
good reader,
Many years ago, when I first heard of the plans to widen 30th, I called up a city council member who assured me that widening 30th would relieve the traffic pressure on 36th. I said baloney.
Dan,
I heard it was an x city council member that lived on 36th didn't want it widened. Since it is the main corridor to Costco, the Mall and Maceys from the east I would think it would benefit the city to widen this main street. I don't think it has taken much traffic off of 30th.
Main point is to write it into the proposal as a condition of moving the clubhouse. Also make the street widening first since it seems the mayor has already made up his mind to tear up the top of 36th, on a deadmans curve and put a new clubhouse and parking lot there. If it does move there how will they keep the students from parking there.
It is sad the way this has been handled. All the sudden the headlines are; the course is loosing money and here are the options to fix it and it needs to be done now!!! Why not just let the public/citizens know that an important part of the comunity is having financial trouble and will fail and become non-existent if not supported. I was unaware that the course was running in the red and now that I do I'll be sure to make it up there and play a couple times this summer. I hope the majority of golf playing Ogden citizens also have plans to play Mount Ogden more often this summer than in years past.
Support Local First!
Lying little matty the expert on everything he knows virtually nothing about. Poor design, is he speaking on the golf course or the Jackass Center? This is the guy that tried to rush about 4 million bucks to the "going under future wanna be gondola hotel developers, don't forget the added water feature attachment that gets him every time). High adventure stupidity as practiced only in Ogden, Utah. It's the speed of our stupidity that truely sets us apart.
good reader,
Well, they did widen 36th Street several years ago. The original plan was to make it 4 lanes wide all the way from Wall to Harrison--but then they ran out of money and stopped at Adams. There were also some pretty serious issues with encroaching on peoples' yards for more right-of-way. Maybe it'll eventually happen, but who will pay for it?
Above Harrison there is absolutely no reason to add lanes (except perhaps bike lanes) to 36th Street. It can easily handle twice the traffic it gets today. (I ride a portion of it by bicycle during rush hour and have no difficulty making left turns.) Even if the clubhouse is moved and Peterson builds his castle in Malan's Basin (guarded by magical dwarves, as Jason likes to point out), there's very little room for parking near the top of 36th and therefore there's no way such a development would create a need to widen the road.
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