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Canton has
big decision to make regarding Ponky
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
To lease or
not to lease?
That will be
the big question facing Canton voters at a special town meeting
sometime in the near-future, now that the governor’s ink has
dried on a plan to resurrect the Ponkapoag Golf Course,
currently in need of an estimated $35 million in repairs.
Officially
signed into law on July 13 as part of the state’s $28.1 billion
budget package, the “Ponkapoag Golf Course Long-Term Leasing
Authority” will allow the Department of Conservation and
Recreation to enter into a lease agreement with either the town
of Canton — if it wants it — or a private company for a
period of 25 years.
Similar to
the legislation that saw the Metropolis Skating Rink first
leased out to the town in 1980, this latest move is being billed
by lawmakers, including Senator Brian Joyce, as an effort to cut
down on spending while also reviving what was once a regional
treasure, designed by the legendary golf course architect Donald
Ross in 1936.
“The state
has no business running golf courses, and does so very badly,”
said Joyce in a recent interview, adding that the funding from
the state has been hard to come by and quick to dry up.
Joyce also
pointed to the success of the Metropolis rink under the
Recreation Department as further evidence that such a plan would
work for the golf course, although he did acknowledge that, in
the case of Ponkapoag, a private company would most likely have
to be involved in some capacity to get the beleaguered course
into “tip-top condition.”
Known for
its cheap rates and overall working class character, Ponkapoag,
or Ponky as locals call it, has suffered from years of neglect
and currently operates just 27 of its 36 holes due primarily to
drainage problems. The course even gained national notoriety as
“the worst golf course in America,” thanks to a 1988 column in
Sports Illustrated written by decorated sportswriter Rick
Reilly, who later penned a best-selling humorous novel about
“Ponkaquoque Municipal,” based, of course, on Ponkapoag.
“It’s in
terrible shape,“ said John Connolly, chairman of the Board of
Selectmen. “Eighteen holes are pretty good, but the other 18 are
in terrible, terrible shape.”
As for
Canton’s role in the future of the course, that would have to be
up to the town leaders, and ultimately, the residents.
“To be
perfectly honest, we don’t know what we’re going to do,” said
Connolly, who met on Friday to discuss the issue with Joyce,
Representative Bill Galvin and Town Administrator Bill Friel.
Connolly,
who spoke to the Citizen on Saturday, said the only thing
that is definite at the moment is that “the town would have no
intention of operating the course itself.” If Canton were to get
involved, he said, it would likely lease the course, but hire
professionals to manage it.
Connolly
said selectmen were first planning to work with town counsel
this week to recommend changes to the legislation’s language
that would benefit the town - changes that would then be passed
on to Joyce and Galvin, who are currently debating with other
lawmakers on a revised version of the lease submitted by
Governor Patrick in a supplemental budget.
The
legislation as it stands already includes a number of
provisions, put forth by Galvin, that were designed to protect
both the town and the people who currently golf at Ponkapoag.
Canton, for
instance, has 180 days to decide to lease the course before a
company can make an offer; and even if it opts not to, it would
still receive a payment from the operator “equal to or greater
than the amount [the] town would receive in property taxes if
the golf course were taxed as a commercial property.”
In addition,
provisions that protect the golfers include: a residential,
senior citizen and children discount program; proposed
reasonable rates that will ensure continued public access; and a
provision that the facility shall be maintained as a 36-hole
public golf course.
“It
definitely intrigues everybody,” said Connolly of the thought of
Canton leasing the course. “I don’t know yet if we want it, but
if it makes economic sense, then absolutely.”
Galvin,
meanwhile, had been opposed to the idea of leasing the course
from the start. “Ponkapoag golf course is more than a golf
course,” he said in an interview last week. “It’s really a
recreational center for our whole area.”
Galvin said
he fears a for-profit business coming in and not only raising
rates, but also eliminating the opportunity for people to use
the area for other activities, including sledding, jogging,
horseback riding and cross-country skiing.
He said he
was hoping the state could fund some of the much-needed repairs
by raising the rates, which are currently $25 for a round on
weekends, by $5. That, he said, combined with $5 million that
has been committed through previous bond authorizations, might
be enough to bring the course up to a respectable level.
Joyce,
however, sees real possibilities with the lease plan, including
the chance that Ponkapoag could someday play host to a
Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) major event, such as the
United States Open.
Joyce said
he had talked with officials from the USGA - the United States’
national association of golf courses - “about six years ago” and
they had expressed interest in Ponkapoag. He said they liked the
fact that it was a public course so close to a major urban hub,
and that it had 36 holes, which would allow for staging and
tents to be set up.
“An
improved, professionally run golf course could, in fact, attract
a USGA event,” said Joyce, adding that if it were a PGA major,
it could generate “in excess of $100 million for the regional
economy.”
July 31, 2008
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