From: Stephen Cecil
Columbus
I have some questions regarding the plans made by the mayor and the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department to close Greenbelt Golf Course.
First, why is it that the golf course is the only facility that is required to make a profit or at least break even? All other city parks and recreation facilities require taxpayer dollars to remain open.
Most parks, trails and facilities do not charge admission.
I just read that The Commons playground will be renovated at an expense of $1.4 million dollars. This is for a facility that is less than 10 years old.
Now, I like the Commons, but I don’t expect it to be profitable as the mayor does for the golf course. Nor do I expect any other city park to be profitable.
The parks department stated that it needs $176,000 in 2021 based on their projections to keep Greenbelt open. Looking at the city’s website this would be about 4% of the operating budget for the parks and recreation department, which is about $4.5 million
If Greenbelt is closed as a golf course and turned into some other greenspace maintained by the parks department, how much will it cost to maintain that space on an annual basis? I suspect it will be very costly since there will be no paying customers.
Will there be any substantial savings in the annual operating expenses?
I believe answers to these questions are needed before a good decision can be made about closing Greenbelt.
Many golfers in this area have already stated that they want this golf course to stay open. Let’s find a way to reduce the operating loss at Greenbelt and keep it open.
