Closed golf course should become a park
To the editor:
I believe many residents would like to see this old golf course used as an open park and kept fairly much “as is.” I see many walkers and joggers on the course every day. There are also two nesting pairs of bald eagles in residence along with a large flock of ibises, many northern ducks, blue herons, etc. It makes a great park just as it is, and one the city needs if it hopes to attract the upwardly mobile residents that it needs for its long-term survival.
Other cities and towns in Florida and elsewhere in the U.S. have large open parks for recreation. Open space and recreational areas always rank high in surveys of desirable qualities in family oriented towns. Real “open space” (which golf courses really are not — only golfers enjoy the grounds, the rest of humanity can just gaze) doesn’t come cheap, but it will pay for itself by the upgrade it gives a community in the eyes of potential residents. Let’s take the long view for a change.
And aren’t golf courses somewhat outdated? They are water hogs which, especially in water starved Florida, makes them a dubious idea from the get-go. The revive-the-golf-course idea gets most of its traction from a well-oiled PR push by a small group of area Realtors, not from a majority of residents. If the meetings and hearings were scheduled at more convenient times (how about 7 p.m. when most of us are back in town from our jobs and shuttling kids around?) I think you’d see that most residents don’t favor another exclusive, keep everyone out golf course. Before deciding what to do the city should get a real feel for the sentiment.
If the city wants the property for whatever truly public purpose, it can legally, and easily, take the property via condemnation proceedings and eminent domain anyway. The real estate market has cratered; now is a good time for that. And the municipal bond market has recovered — float a 6 percent tax free municipal bond to finance the purchase.
Throw out the golf course idea. Make it a park; it already practically is. Let’s make it something truly for all people, not just those who can afford to pay $50 or $75 for green fees.
Harry Cutting
Cape Coral