To the editor:
Manager of Community Services Greg Alexander’s comments and propaganda at the May 9 council meeting in regards to the city’s golf courses is exactly the reason the public is so distrustful of city hall.
Alexander is blaming council for rejecting city director of golf Tom Forsythe’s proposed fee hikes in 2004. He even goes on to say, “These hikes in fees would have meant a break-even situation.”
In fact a 40 per cent increase of $272 in one year for the popular unlimited triple membership would have been the undoing on the city golf courses. Council knew this and were well aware of two large rallies that were held by city golfers protesting Forsythe’s proposed fee hikes. Coun. Mark Bentz summed it up well when he stated a 40 per cent increase “will in fact kill the golf courses or make it very difficult to be sustainable by any means.”
It is unfortunate city council passed a 20 per cent increase in the triple membership fee in 2005, which was the beginning of a mass exodus of city golfers. Since Forsythe was hired in 2003, the triple membership has more than doubled in just eight years. It has gone from $760 in 2003 to $1,460 in 2011, an increase of $754.
This is reflective of the huge loss of members and drop in green fee sales.
While the private golf courses continue to make money, our poorly managed golf courses continue to lose money.
Greg Alexander and company have lost the trust of most of their former and present members.
Perhaps our city golf courses should be leased out to a private operator.
This would be a win-win situation, as the city would not be faced with a loss each year. The city would in fact derive an income from leasing the three city golf courses and the golfers would not be subjected to this harassment each and every year.
Ray Smith,
Thunder Bay
Manager of Community Services Greg Alexander’s comments and propaganda at the May 9 council meeting in regards to the city’s golf courses is exactly the reason the public is so distrustful of city hall.
Alexander is blaming council for rejecting city director of golf Tom Forsythe’s proposed fee hikes in 2004. He even goes on to say, “These hikes in fees would have meant a break-even situation.”
In fact a 40 per cent increase of $272 in one year for the popular unlimited triple membership would have been the undoing on the city golf courses. Council knew this and were well aware of two large rallies that were held by city golfers protesting Forsythe’s proposed fee hikes. Coun. Mark Bentz summed it up well when he stated a 40 per cent increase “will in fact kill the golf courses or make it very difficult to be sustainable by any means.”
It is unfortunate city council passed a 20 per cent increase in the triple membership fee in 2005, which was the beginning of a mass exodus of city golfers. Since Forsythe was hired in 2003, the triple membership has more than doubled in just eight years. It has gone from $760 in 2003 to $1,460 in 2011, an increase of $754.
This is reflective of the huge loss of members and drop in green fee sales.
While the private golf courses continue to make money, our poorly managed golf courses continue to lose money.
Greg Alexander and company have lost the trust of most of their former and present members.
Perhaps our city golf courses should be leased out to a private operator.
This would be a win-win situation, as the city would not be faced with a loss each year. The city would in fact derive an income from leasing the three city golf courses and the golfers would not be subjected to this harassment each and every year.
Ray Smith,
Thunder Bay
