I was surprised to read a suggestion about selling Meadowbrook. I really
like golfing at Meadowbrook Golf Course!
It's a beautiful course, and my kids and I have taken golf lessons there
for very affordable prices. So when people say that the taxpayers don't
derive benefits, I have to disagree. Most folks can't afford to shell
out
$40,000 to join a private club like Minikahda, so if they like to golf,
they golf at municipal owned courses (Hiawatha, Theodore Wirth or
Meadowbrook in Minneapolis; Fred Richards or Braemar in Edina) or county
owned courses. I think these municipal courses are a wonderful thing,
comparable to lakes, parks and public swimming pools.
Am I missing something?
Catherine Shreves
13th Ward
Carol Becker wrote:
>
> 1) Meadowbrook Golf Course is owned by the Park and Recreation Board, not
> the City of Minneapolis, purchased in the 1930's.
> 2) When looked at several years ago, the land value was about $20 million.
> This is valuing it for development, not for sale as a golf course.
> 3) Taxpayers do not subsizide the golf courses, but neither do they derive
> any appreciable benefits from the ownership of the asset. This was the
> point of my original post.
> 4) This was an issue Don Fraser pursued during his tenure.
>
> Carol Becker
> Longfellow
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2000 3:28 PM
> Subject: Meadowbrook- was Re: City Budget, Nov. 2000
>
> > A list member writes me regarding my suggestion that the City sell
> > Meadowbrook Golfcourse:
> >
> > << who do we sell meadowbrook to? in one piece or in
> > parcels? would it remain a public golf course? do we
> > care? do you golf? got any friends who golf? at
> > meadowbrook?
> > >>
> >
> > I'm not even certain the City of Mpls. owns Meadowbrook Golf Course... it
> was
> > referenced awhile back on mpls-issues. Assuming the City of Mpls. does
> own
> > the Course, my point is all that real estate (a significant real asset) is
> > being held by the City (Mpls. taxpayers) and there is little-to-no return
> > being realized on it. The course isn't even located within the City, and
> I
> > don't think Mpls. taxpayers should be subsidizing golfers on a course in
> St.
> > Louis Park; while Mpls.' elected officials are responsible for growing
> > deficits and reduced public services; all while city residents' are
> > experiencing rising property taxes. Why should taxpayers subsidize
> golfers
> > any more than stadium owners?
> >
> > I don't care who it is sold to. It is located in St. Louis Park and
> borders
> > Hopkins and possibly Edina. I doubt any municipality receives any tax
> > revenue from the property and I'd be surprised if it is even
> self-sustaining
> > (let alone profitable) from operations. Seems that public parkland, a
> > parkway along Minnehaha Creek, and some mixed-use affordable/market-rate
> > housing would be an attractive, revenue-producing alternative for St.
> Louis
> > Park? And, I'm sure the reduced fertilizer runnoff into the Creek will
> > result in a lower BOD and improved water quality. Such potential projects
> > would offer a nice balance to all the development on the east side of Hwy
> 100
> > along Excelsior Blvd., while adding to St. Louis Parks tax base! What is
> the
> > market value of the Meadowbrook acreage? You don't know until you put it
> on
> > the market-- and that doesn't mean making a nice sweet-heart arrangement
> to
> > transfer the property to St. Louis Park at sub-standard value, at a loss
> to
> > Mpls. taxpayers.
> >
> > M. Hohmann
> > 13th Ward
> >
