It is time to stand up, and let other residents know that you are concerned. Your comments, agree or not, are welcome, and will be published without your name. Send your emails to: wedgefieldexaminerthe@yahoo.com
HERE IS THE EMAIL:
A meeting will be held on Thursday, June 1st with Brian Tucker so that Wedgefield residents in support of the county purchasing the golf course can stand up and plead their case and attempt to convince naysayers that they know better. This appears to be an organized effort since someone took the time to print postcards, obtain a mailing list, and fund the postage as well as make a sign for the gate area of the plantation. This organized group believe they are representing a majority of the residents in Wedgefield and God help us if this is truly the case. If the county purchases the course, this could be the end of one of the few good residential areas in Georgetown as well as our privacy. Seriously, is having the government in our lives, (literally in our backyards) a good thing?
Those who support the county purchase of the golf course believe the government will do a good job of maintaining the grounds. Let's think about this..... Last November a crew of residents cut up downed trees from the hurricane and stacked them on the side of the road for the county to pick up. It was compost before that actually happened; months later. Visit a county park and if you think it's well maintained then you are very easy to please or your expectations can't be too high. Georgetown County is a poor. This means it doesn't have deep pockets to maintain its municipalities to the standard most of us will expect. Doesn't the county use inmates for road cleanup? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Is there a guarantee that this won't be our maintenance crew when times get tight?
If this doesn't convince you that the county purchase of the course is a bad idea, think about your safety and privacy. How many people do you think will be coming through the gate of Wedgefield on a daily basis to wander or drive around our streets, make noise, and leave behind trash? Do you think driving through this gate will be easy given the amount of cars that will be parked in the plantation for various public events? We are talking about giving up our privacy. Our homes will be backed up to a public park. We have no control over who is wandering the course behind our homes at any given hour of the day or night. Which brings up the issue of safety. We don't have police patrolling in Wedgefield. We could be prey to anyone who comes here with bad intentions or to disrupt our community. Just who will be coming through that gate? How many of us moved to Wedgefield for safety and privacy?
This is just a tip of the iceberg folks. There are so many other issues such as the very real possibility of a decline in housing value. Let's face it, for every person who would love to live next door to a very large municipal park governed by the county, there are that many more if not more who find it undesirable. Which means the pool of buyers for Wedgefield will be down.
So when you ponder the idea of the county buying Wedgefield's golf course, picture this... driving into the main entrance of the plantation and instead of seeing the beautiful brick Wedgefield sign, you see a big fat Welcome to the Georgetown County Public Service/ Municipal Golf Course and "___________" Recreation Center" (named after the self serving person who pulls this off). Imagine sitting on your back patio and instead of viewing and listening to the wildlife around the pond, you are watching strangers fish because this fishing hole is now public property and available to anyone at anytime. Perhaps they will leave their trash behind because that's what the maintenance people get paid for. If your curiosity peaks you, go to a public park at night and watch the activity. Will you sleep sound at night in your Wedgefield home after what you may see? And don't call the police if there's a strange car parked on the side of the road near your house, it may just be a park visitor using your private road as public access and expecting them to respect your privacy just might violate their rights as taxpayers.
So are you ready to plunk down $500 a year, (after year, after year) to support the county's municipal golf course? Is there another plan in place should residents oppose this fee? That would mean the county can buy the course without your money or opinion. This would be a good question to ask Brian.
I guess I just don't understand why the sale of the golf course is our responsibility and why some feel it's the homeowners obligation to subsidize the operation. How did we ever get to the point of offering up financial support to potential owners who don't have the means to make it on their own? It's a level of desperation that leaves us vulnerable in more ways than one. Who is protecting the residents and has our best interests at heart?
Brian will be presenting the county's ideas for the purchase of the golf course on June 1st. It's unknown if he will listen to concerns during this meeting or only allow positive feedback as those were the rules in last meeting held on this very similar topic. Go, listen, and make your OWN decision. Think about how a county purchase of the golf course will affect, if at all the quality of your life and the future of Wedgefield. Don't be afraid to speak up whether you are for or against this plan. Your voice should be heard and opinion respected.
Good luck Wedgefield......
