Kelly’s golf plan merits investigation

loading...

Before the Bangor City Council locks itself into finding a way to privatize harness racing at Bass Park, Bangor Municipal golf pro Austin Kelly has a suggestion. Actually, he has nine suggestions.

“They should seriously look into taking that land and building nine more holes of golf,” said Kelly, his blue eyes dead serious.

Whoa, boy. Just what this whole harness racing argument needs, right? An alternative from the links-a-tic fringe. Didn’t the polyester knit set just build nine new holes onto Bangor Muni five years ago? Is there really a need for nine more, which would green up that end of the city to a total of 36 holes?

According to Kelly and assistant golf pro Brian Enman, there is definitely a demand for yet another nine holes.

“We are operating the new nine at 80 percent capacity, at least,” said Kelly, noting the original 18 is at or near 100 percent capacity. “The new nine is doing great financially. We’re meeting the mortgage and making a profit on top.”

This is correct, according to Bangor City Manager Ed Barrett.

“The golf course is doing very well,” said Barrett. “The first couple of years after the interest payment hit, the general fund had to help out. But that’s all been paid back and the golf course is now well in the black, enough so that improvements could be made to the clubhouse this year.”

More to the point in the minds of Bangor taxpayers, Kelly makes an offer that has yet to be heard from the horse community.

“I guarantee another nine holes would make a profit for the city, beginning in the first full year of operation,” Kelly said.

OK, reality check time.

First of all, where exactly would these new nine holes go? Would the roof of the Bangor Auditorium have to double as an elevated tee, setting up one of those Michael Jordan-Larry Bird commercial H-O-R-S-E games:

“Off the tee, off Paul Bunyan’s ax, through the guardrail, off the grandstand, nothin’ but cup.”

Kelly said, obviously, the racing grandstand and the adjacent parking lots would all have to go. Of course, the Auditorium and Civic Center stay, but their parking lots would have to be shifted into the current bandstand park right down to Main Street.

“We haven’t talked to an architect, but I believe there’s enough land for nine more holes,” Kelly said.

Let’s say that’s true. Can they be built there? The land Bass Park sits on is not owned by the city, but by the Bass estate.

“I have a copy of the will,” answered Bass Park Director Michael Dyer. “To me, and it’s just my understanding, I would certainly think it would be feasible. The will stipulates the land be used for recreational use for Bangor citizens.”

Furthermore, Dyer believes no suggestion for ways to make the Bass Park area profitable to the city should be dismissed by the city government out of hand.

“I’d love to see them look at other uses. There seems to be this idea that if it’s not used for harness racing, it is lost. I don’t agree with that,” Dyer said.

Enter the Bangor city government.

“I have never heard of this before and I don’t want to speculate and prejudge it,” said John Bragg, chairman of the city council.

Barrett was more skeptical.

“I hate to say anything is completely out of the realm of possibility, but at this point the council’s priority is to find someone to operate the (harness) racing,” he said.

Another reason city officials are skeptical about Kelly’s plan is the question of what would happen to the Bangor State Fair.

“That’s definitely a problem,” said Dyer.

But should it be?

According to Dyer, the Bangor State Fair has turned a profit for the city of between $50,000 and $72,000 the last five years. Of course, much more revenue has been generated by fair-goers that winds up in the city economy.

Still, doesn’t it make sense that when the golf course mortgages are paid off, at least similar numbers of dollars will be generated?

“I can tell you right now, with two 18-hole courses, we could go after many more events (golf tournaments) that would bring in a lot of money to the area,” Kelly said.

As for the fair, isn’t there another plot of land in the greater Bangor area that could handle it? I don’t know, I’m asking.

Maybe that’s what the Bangor City Council should do as well. Ask about Kelly’s plan before dismissing it out of hand.