Miniature Golf has its Flaws according to Anonymous Blogger

An Anonymous Reader Critiques Berman Miniature Golf Proposal

 This email was received from the same email address as the one who previously commented on the Berman proposal.

Once again, due to its length and depth, we have reprinted it in its entirety in order that you may draw your own conclusions.

AS AN ANONYMOUS RESPONDER, I HAD DECIDED JUST TO OFFER AN OPINION, BUT NOT GET INTO A GIVE AND TAKE AND DISAGREEMENT WITH THE BLOGGER WHO IS TRYING TO PUSH HIS OWN AGENDA AND PROVIDE BIASED INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECT OF A MINI GOLF ALTERNATIVE.  

I AM FORCED TO RESPOND ONCE AGAIN TO BALANCE OUT THE FIELD. 

I REMAIN ANONYMOUS AND JUST WANT TO SUPPLY MY OPINION WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE QUESTIONABLE BLOGGER.

AGAIN NOTE THAT ALL MY COMMENTS WILL BE IN CAPS AND IN RED.

As Published in an overly biased and controlled blog!

"Our team of volunteers continues to work on circulating petitions and connecting with their fellow residents to discuss our proposal to convert the dormant bocce courts at Liberty Center to miniature golf."

"I have promised to periodically address, to the best of my ability, comments and questions that come in about the proposal. Some of them are questions that are asked of me in personal conversations, in e-mail messages, passed along by team members, asked on blogs, etc."

"In keeping with my promise, here are some questions and answers."

Why are you proposing a mini-golf layout for the Liberty Center bocce courts?

It started with a blog survey whose results indicated a preference for miniature golf over other possibilities for the site. As our volunteers contact residents throughout the community and obtain signatures on petitions favoring the proposal, it is clear that the interest is there.

 ________________________________________

ONCE AGAIN THIS AUTHOR MAKES IT APPEAR LIKE THIS IS AN OVERWHELMING CRY OUT FOR THIS ALTERNATIVE.  I MUST AGAIN REMIND ALL THAT WHEN YOU DO A SURVEY OF A SPECIFIC GROUP, YOU CAN PREDICT RESULTS.  THAT IS MERELY A WAY TO MAKE OTHER THAT HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED FEEL AS THOUGH THAT IS THE MAJORITY OPINION WHEN IN FACT IT IS A SMALL SLICE OF THE COMMUNITY.

MR. BLOGGER, IF THERE IS SUCH AN OVERWHELMING RESULT, WHY NOT PUBLISH THE NUMBERS?  SINCE THIS SO-CALLED PETITION HAS STARTED WITH ALL THESE VOLUNTEERS, I HAVE YET TO HEAR OR MEET ONE PERSON OF THE 12,000 RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROACHED WITH THIS PETITION. PERHAPS, THE MANY REFERRED TO BY THIS BLOGGER WITH AN AGENDA IS MOSTLY IN HIS HEAD!
__________________________________________ 

Why would mini-golf be a better amenity than others that might be worth considering? 

The criteria for suggesting this amenity above others are straightforward: It is one of the few outdoor activities that can be played by almost anyone, regardless of age or physical limitations, and it would comply with the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Playing equipment is provided, meaning that players don’t have to provide their own equipment or wear special clothing. It would provide an activity that does not duplicate any activity currently available to our members. And it involves a concept that would develop both sections of Liberty Center bocce courts and place the amenity in a setting that, as proposed, would have a park-like look and feel.

 I DO AGREE THAT A PARK LIKE FEELING WOULD BE PRESENT.

 _____________________________________________

A pet park and shuffleboard are other suggestions that have been made for this site. Are you opposing these ideas?

This reporter and our team are not specifically opposing any proposal, even if it competes with the mini-golf concept. Any groups that have proposals they want to advocate can gather what support they can and go through the Properties & Grounds Committee vetting process if they wish. That being said, I don’t think installing shuffleboard would be the best option for the Liberty Center site. At this time, I have not seen a groundswell of advocacy for shuffleboard, (NOR A GROUND SWELL FOR MINI GOLF) and it is really difficult to advocate for an amenity if community support cannot be demonstrated. In addition, because shuffleboard is a linear sport that basically involves just pushing a disc back and forth, (AND MINI GOLF IS JUST ROLLING A BALL AROUND!) there may be one or more better locations for it if the interest is there. We intend to demonstrate interest in mini-golf, but where other options are concerned there may be an object lesson in the fact that our horseshoe pits get almost no use; some residents probably don’t even know that we have horseshoe pits, and where they are located.

 ____________________________________________-

Another community blogger claimed that data from the miniature golf course at Sun City Summerlin indicate light usage, resulting in his conclusion that mini-golf in Sun City Anthem would not attract sufficient traffic to justify the cost.

The Sun City Summerlin usage figures obtained by that blogger –the same data I received- are not representative of the actual usage their mini-golf facility experiences. Sun City Summerlin is home to two championship golf courses and an executive-length course, and I was told that large numbers of the residents who use these courses also visit and play on the miniature golf course, bringing their own putters and balls to do so. Because these players don’t need to check in with a fitness monitor, there is no data that show the actual total usage. 

AS A GOLFER, I DOUBT, BASED ON EXPERIENCE, THAT THIS COMMENT ON GOLFERS HAS ANY VALIDITY.  IT IS ONLY A PRESUMPTION MADE BY THE BLOGGER TO ADVOCATE HIS DESIRE TO INFLUENCE THE READERS.

_________________________________________

In addition, we plan to take an approach tailored to the needs and interests of our own community. Among the possibilities: chartered mini-golf club; tournaments and charity fund-raising events; encouragement for some of our many chartered clubs to include mini-golf as a part of their own special events; etc.

I heard that children are prohibited from participating in any activities at Liberty Center. Is this true, and if so, how could we play mini-golf there with our visiting grandchildren?

There is a rumor going around to that effect, but it is false. The ONLY restriction on children is that they are prohibited from using the swimming pools and Jacuzzi at Liberty Center, and instead may use only the pools at Anthem Center during designated hours. For all other amenities, established free-play and club guest policies apply. If SCA wanted to have a policy for young mini-golf visitors, it could establish a reasonable procedure, for example requiring that visitors must be at least a certain age to play the course.

SO WE NOW SAY IT IS FOR GRANDCHILDREN, BUT ONLY FOR CERTAIN AGES.  THAT IS RIDICULOUS.

 WE SAY THIS COULD BE FOR GRANDCHILDREN BUT NOT ALL GRANDCHILDREN. 

AND THEN, IF THEY DO QUALIFY BASED ON AGE, THEY DO NOT QUALIFY TO GO SWIMMING AT THE POOL THAT IS LOCATED IN THE SAME CENTER.

EITHER HAVE OPEN HOURS FOR ALL ,OR DO NOT HAVE THE YOUNGSTERS THERE AT ALL.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD (NOT OFFICIALLY OR IN WRITING) THAT THE LIBERTY CENTER IS AN ADULT FACILITY AND NOT FOR KIDS.

 _____________________________________________

 Constructing a mini-golf layout is certainly going to be expensive. How do you respond to the argument that this is an expense SCA cannot afford?

It would be one of the larger single-item expenses we would incur since transition to resident control in 2005. But I would suggest that this reality should be balanced off by the opportunity to redevelop a site that exceeds 11,000 square feet, large enough to host several single-story homes. Our community is noted for, among other things, its first-class, well-maintained collection of amenities, supported by a well-controlled dues structure that exceeds what any other age-restricted community offers its members relative to the fees they pay. And of course, the cost of construction will not affect our dues because it will come from the Asset Enhancement Fee of one third of one percent collected on the sale of SCA homes.

THE ARGUMENT THAT IT WILL NOT IMPACT OUR DUES IS JUST PLAIN STUPID. 

 MONEY SPENT AT SCA IS REAL MONEY.

ANY MONEY SPENT IN THE COMMUNITY IS A COST OF THE COMMUNITY. TO SAY THAT THIS WILL NOT AFFECT OUR DUES IS MISLEADING.  ANY MONEY SPENT AFFECTS ALL OF US

___________________________________________________

 Some are complaining that the Asset Enhancement Fee is discriminatory, and they would like the SCA Board of Directors to eliminate it. Wouldn’t that take away the source of funds for new capital projects such as mini-golf?

Yes it would, but the Asset Enhancement Fee is not going away for the foreseeable future. (THIS STATEMENT IS RATHER PRESUMPTUOUS )

Critics who would like it to disappear via action by the Board of Directors simply do not understand that the Asset Enhancement Fee is incorporated in the CC&Rs of our Association, which require an affirmative vote of 67% of our 7,144 homeowners, or 4,787 homes, to change. Anyone who wants to eliminate the Asset Enhancement Fee must overcome that hurdle, and I see no movement among critics of the fee to work toward that change.

THIS MAY BE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE.

 IF THE AUTHOR OF THE BLOG WOULD RALLY THE RESIDENTS WITH THE SAME DEGREE OF ENTHUSIASM FOR THE MINI-GOLF, WE MAY GET THE NECESSARY VOTES TO ELIMINATE THIS DISCRIMINATORY FEE. 

WHY IS IT FAIR TO HAVE FEES PAID ON THE TRANSFER OF PROPERTY?

 ________________________________________________

In that case, even if the Asset Enhancement Fee funds the project without impacting our annual Association fees, how much would the mini-golf project cost anyway.

As noted earlier, this would be a major project involving a substantial piece of land, and like most everything in life, we get what we pay for. Companies specializing in design and construction of miniature golf courses say the cost would be at the lower end of the range because (1) we are suggesting a 9-hole “putting course,” not an 18-hole course, and (2) we are not advocating expensive water features such as streams and waterfalls, as well as constructed objects such as castles and windmills. While it would be up to the P&G Committee in conjunction with Facilities and the Project Manager to establish a budget that companies could bid against, $100,000 might be a reasonable figure. If this turned out to be the figure, it would amount to the equivalent of a one-time expense of less than $15 per SCA household, though of course our households would not incur that expense due to the availability of the Asset Enhancement Fee.

 But surely there would be upkeep and maintenance cost that we would have to budget for. Would these expenses not have a direct affect on our budget, meaning our dues could go up as a result?

We can’t have any recreational amenities without budgeting for such items as repair, refurbishment, maintenance and replacement. ALL our amenities have some sort of ongoing cost associated with them, and our Finance Committee and Board calculate and include these costs in our annual budgets. To not do so is to allow our community to fall into disrepair.

The major upkeep expense for a miniature golf course is the replacement of the artificial putting surface, estimated to be every three to seven years, depending on usage. Otherwise, this amenity is almost maintenance-free, though there would be a continuous landscaping expense and minor cleaning/repairs. All in all, our research indicates that mini-golf facilities are among the lowest-cost-to-maintain amenities of any type of recreational facilities.

For just one example of the costs we incur to maintain the condition of our recreational facilities, do you know how much it is going to cost to resurface eight SCA tennis courts? The answer is at the end of this article.

 At least one critic has stated, in so many words, that a mini-golf amenity would stand unused during long periods because of our challenging hot weather during several months of the year. Doesn’t this weaken your argument in favor of this proposal?

Hardly. Noel Coward wrote that “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.”  This certainly applies to Sun City Anthem, where you can drive around in the middle of a hot day and see almost ALL of our outdoor recreational facilities (except for the pools) standing idle. Mini-golf would be no different, and it certainly would be no worse.

SO IF IT WON'T BE USED, WHY BUILD IT ?

Summary: A retirement community such as ours works best when it caters to as many needs and interests as possible. There is NO single amenity used by more than a small percentage of our residents. What we offer is choices, because one of the things that makes SCA attractive to prospective and new residents is the cornucopia of activities from which we can choose. For any one activity that attracts participation, there will be substantially more who do not participate in that activity. We give our residents these choices because this is what makes SCA so special.

To reiterate the basis for the mini-golf proposal:

•    An amenity that does not duplicate any other amenities currently available.
 
 

•    An amenity that can be enjoyed by almost everyone, including those with limitations or lack of skills that prevent participation in some other activities.
 
 

•    An amenity that visitors of almost all ages can enjoy. 


•    An amenity that offers opportunities for special events, tournaments, fundraisers, etc., because everyone can participate.

SHUFFLEBOARD, BOCCE BALL, AND A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER AMENITIES ALSO FIT THE ABOVE CRITERIA.

Answer to the question I asked about the cost for resurfacing eight SCA tennis courts: Bids were opened at the June 27 Board meeting, and the LOWEST bid is $32,000.

LET ME MAKE MY FINAL STATEMENT.

MINI-GOLF MAY BE A VIABLE OPTION FOR THE LIBERTY CENTER. THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO CONSIDER IN THIS PROCESS.

MY OBJECTION TO THE PROCESS THAT APPEARS TO BE TAKING PLACE ON THE ONE BLOG IS THAT IT IS PUSHING AND ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL THE ISSUE.

 IF THIS IS THE BEST THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY, SO BE IT.  THE BIG BUT IS THAT NO-ONE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO CONTROL THE PROCESS. 

SHAME ON ANY BLOG THAT TRIES TO SWAY AND CONTROL THE PROCESS, THE  BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY.