Shores Golf Forum and Witch Burning 04 February

11 Days late, so gonna be short and to the point.

City had a forum to give residents the chance to voice complaints about the golf course conditions at the Shores.

It's bad. Everyone agrees.

Why does this matter to the city? A part of the course was built on the take line (City of Dallas). The City of Rockwall leases that portion form Dallas, and in turn sub-leases to the Shores. The city receives "rent" in the amount of $50,000 per year (the minimum) or a percentage of the takings from the golf course. As part of that sub-lease agreement, the management has to maintain the course in good repair.

They have not, and as consequence the city has taken action and got restitution. But the course continues its decline.

Here's what the people had to say:

-Other course managed by IRI, Oak Ridge, also is in bad shape
-Trees have been removed
-Bunkers have been removed (That mean filled in? How do you remove a hole?)
-PGA used to do qualifying there
-Why did it take so long for the city to start auditing the course? (My guess is there were more imporatant things to do like enforce dog tethering)
-City has the power to "slap wrists" and should
-HOA should stop paying the golf course (they have and duh, shoulda started that years ago)
-The city wouldn't let the Harbor (which the city owns and has financial interest) get to the poor condition that the Shores is (which the city doesn't own and has no financial interest - see what I did there?)
-It's not the management of the course's fault, it's the city's for not making sure a private company is taking care of private matters (yes, someone said that. I guess I can complain to the city if Wal-Mart stops stocking my favorite brand of tortillas.)
-Promises made, nothing improved
-More promises broken
-One guy's entire goal (after speaking for like 45 minutes) was because he wanted the chance to quote the Wolf Brand Chili slogan in response to his question of how long it has taken the city to get strenuously involved.
-Too may vermin and snakes (Near a lake on a giant field! How'd that happen???)
-Non-members have been threatened with trespass if they trespassed on the course
-The Shores is a "highlight" of Rockwall" (...................)
-One old guy started rambling before yelling at a cloud
-There are drainage problems (Worse than those on actual city streets like Perch or Bass or Trout or Wayne or Yvonne, etc?)
-City should buy the golf course
-City should audit the finances of a private company
-City has allowed IRI to abuse the Shores
-One guy not normally in favor of government getting involved with private business, would like the government to get involved with private business.
-City could make so much money that the city could retire! (or something. Because a failing private business will always succeed when the government takes over!!)
-One guy kept complaining about people not driving on the cart paths and was told to stop calling. Then he put a sign demanding compliance and someone stole it.
-One guy threatened to get everyone thrown out of office cuz he doesn't work 180 days out of the year and will make it his mission in life to make the council's life a living Hell. From a guy who has never once attended ANYthing (he said so) is going to suddenly get involved? Rest easy, Council.
-He also wanted to know if anyone "knew who he was" or "who his mother was". Not sure if that was part of the threat or if he genuinely did not know the answers.
-Council "knows what needs to be done and that's the right thing".
-Someone wants a monthly update on what the city is doing front and center of the city's newsletter. (I guess that's easier than emailing or calling.)
-"The time for gathering information is over." (Lot's of not-quite-in-the-right-context quotes as this meeting.)
-Local workers of the course do all they can even when they don't get paid (Now that's just dumb.)

None of the above (except that in parenthesis) is my words. All quotes or paraphrased from actual speakers.

Now a "what the? moment"-Many who spoke moved in after the poor conditions were known.

Some complained they would never be able to sell their "dream home" - why would you sell your "dream home"?

The council then spoke. They agreed. No one on council offered the notion that the city could buy an enterprise that loses money even on its best day. But citizens could petition for a bond election and then convince 99% of the city why we should buy something that .00001% of the city uses.

The best statement from council came from Councilman Sweet (our next County Clerk GO, DAVID!!!!) who declared the Shores Golf Course the biggest eyesore in Rockwall!!!!!! That makes the ZOO NUMBER 2, we must be improving!!!

All the city needs to do to make real progress is declare the Golf Course a "blight" and start passing or talk about passing ordinances that are specific to the Golf Course and hire a dedicated code enforcement officer to make sure they comply!!!!