I am sending this letter because I feel
was not shown the same common courtesy or respect as virtually every other citizen at the commissioners’ Sept. 9 “special meeting” involving Superior National Golf Course.
For over 2 ½ hours I listened to people allowed to blather on, many times off topic, many times redundant. I believe I was the only citizen who was stopped in mid-thought and not allowed to finish making my point. Moments after being stifled I had difficulty following the discussion because someone chose to stand directly in front of me and conduct his own private conference during the meeting.
Who controls these meetings? Why were Mike Larson, Charles Skinner Jr. and Scott Harrison occupying seats obviously meant for commissioners, the EDA or Grand Marais City Council? These individuals should have been in the audience, observing like the rest of us. Theyappeared to be running the meeting.
Thepoints I was not able to make are these. We are at the very early stages of a long process. We’ve barely started collecting the funds (taxes) to finance projects. Don’t allow yourselves to fall into somebody else’s hurried agenda that benefits them. Their first two proposals should tell you that. Unless “harebrained” scores extra points, Hal Greenwood’s “Golf Course Proposal” is an EDA bailout proposal and quite frankly, absurd. A new 30-year loan? First 10 years of that, interest only payments? When the original revenue bond will be paid off in less than five years!
The very first thing the commissioners or the EDA should be looking at spending any money on is an independent golf course consultant/ manager/development company. Let’s peel back the layers of this rotting onion and see what’s right and what’s wrong. Too many other public agencies utilize this kind of out-sourcing; it should at least be looked at.
Giants Ridge uses a golf management company, KemperSports. I’ve talked to KemperSports and another called Meadowbrook Golf. They both do detailed analysis/assessments and management of golf courses; their consulting fees could be waived as part of a management agreement. They are experts in accepted “best practices,” not the current group consuming so much of your time.
Both companies are willing to provide any help they can. Thiswould be our tax dollars well spent, prudently.
Paul D. Quinn
Lutsen
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