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.
