Sunday, November 08, 2009

Standard-Examiner Guest Commentary: Golf Course Plan Should Preserve Intrinsic Value

Time for our new city council, we think, to grab the bull by its horns

The Mt. Ogden Golf Course story is back on the discussion front-burner, with this morning's most-excellent Hoyle Sorenson Guest Commentary:
Golf course plan should preserve intrinsic value
Mr. Sorensen refers to the four Golf Course options floated by Boss Godfrey back in the spring of 2008, which ranged in extremes from busting the city treasury with a massive multi-million dollar east bench overhaul, to letting the course go back to "seed."

Mr. Sorenson notes that the Godfrey Admistration has ignored any intermediate suggestions which might adhere to a minimilist golf course plan, and deftly observes that the Mayor's option of simply shutting down the course is plainly a half-baked non-starter.

As we prepare to swear in a new City Council in January, we believe Mr. Sorenson's guest commentary is both wise and timely; and we congratulate Mr. Sorenson and the Standard-Examiner for once again bringing this issue to the forefront.

In that connection we'll also join with Mr. Sorenson in urging the City Council to promptly address the Mount Ogden Golf Course issue once and for all, and to follow the financially prudent principles of small businesses all across America, in adopting a First Things First approach. With a hare-brained multi-million dollar golf course remodeling scheme simmering away as the continuing obsession of our borrow-and-spend, one-trick-pony City mayor, the golf course debate simply won't be going away on its own. With a new council set to take over in January, it's time for our city legislature to grab the bull by the horns, we think.

While the new council's at it by the way... as we've suggested before... the commissioning of a full independent accounting of long term golf course finances, as a crucuial first step, might not be a half bad idea either. We don't trust Godfrey's numbers; and we don't believe Council should trust them either. We know it sounds old-fashioned, but we're standing by our time-worn philosophical core axiom: Obtain and study the facts first -- then undertake action, if necessary.

That's it for now, WCF readers.

Don't let the cat get your tongues.

9 comments:

Superman said...

A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Strategy deals with the how part rather than the what. Are not the "extremes from busting the city treasury with a massive multi-million dollar east bench overhaul/development, to letting the course go back to seed" nothing more than political strategies to force the citizens of Ogden into making the least painful decisions that won't increase their taxes or committ them to a lifetime of debt service?

When enforcement officers relentlessly dogged Ogden Citizens for having their lawn too long it makes you wonder if allowing Mr. Lesham and his river project lieniency in not maintaining his properties and allowing it to fall into a greater state of disrepair just another strategy thereby allowing the City to expend the resources to demolish and clean up the blighted and dangerous area?

Let's hope that one of the newly elected council members is a strategist who is skilled in designing and planning a course of action and policy to achieve what is in the best interest of Ogden's citizens. If the current stalemate continues between the council and administration the citizens will continue to be the losers.

Truth, Justice and the American Way

Monotreme said...

Superman:

Sir, you do great violence to the English language.

Strategy is focused on long-term goals. Tactics are the short-term gains and losses necessary to carry out the larger strategy.

Plainly put, the brain-dead golf course proposals are tactics. Mayor Godfrey clearly has the strategic goal of selling off the golf course to developers. By placing only weak options on the table, he clearly avoids having to discuss the competing proposals on their merits.

Mayor Godfrey has demonstrated that he can only focus on one thing at a time, first gondolas, now selling off irreplaceable open space. To imply that he has any skill in either tactics or strategy is to give him much, much more credit than he deserves. He's like a chess player who focuses only on the capabilities of one piece and can't see the big picture.

Pat Dean said...

I think that is time to enforce the ordinaces on Mr. Gadi and OMMIC Corporation. that owns property such as the boarded up residence located at 515 Washington and others throughout the city who are not forced to obtain perits and or submit plans or pay the fee's associated with such an Ordinance. Then we take all the money collected from these fee's and put them to some good use up at the Golf Course...

Let's at least level the playing field for both developers and citizens alike. Let's stop overlooking the ordinaces that are there to be enforced.

Anonymous said...

When a decision is made regarding the Mount Ogden Golf Course, and adjoining lands, it would be wise to follow this bit of wisdom that we offer forth herewith.

No new developments will occur on the bench-lands from 12th street to 40th street. Nothing. As this is a simple declared fact, it would be best to spend as little money as possible, and shift the focus away from non-starter projects, and toward something that actually has a non-zero probability of being realized.

The bench lands have been declared off-limits to developers; best to just move along, nothing to see here.

disgusted said...

Pat Dean

youre spot on.

G'n'R lives said...

I hope the new and existing council members understand the task at hand. I think the forum hits the "nail on the head".

While the new council's at it by the way... as we've suggested before... the commissioning of a full independent accounting of long term golf course finances, as a crucuial first step, might not be a half bad idea either. We don't trust Godfrey's numbers; and we don't believe Council should trust them either. We know it sounds old-fashioned, but we're standing by our time-worn philosophical core axiom: Obtain and study the facts first -- then undertake action, if necessary.

Any accounting background on the council? Follow the money guys!!!!!

Anonymous said...

"...a picture of Shurtleff, white shirt and tie, looking like he's been doing steroids --- think "The Hulk" just seconds before conversion."

Isn't this the dweeb that dumped his bike going 4 miles an hour, and now tells people what to do from a Dr. Strangeglove'eque wheelchair?
Now, he is going to go all Hulk on people on other planets who are not Mormon, white Republicans?

I am indeed a stranger in a strange land.

Curmudgeon said...

Comment bumped to front page

Stephen M. Cook said...

Comment moved to new article comments section

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