Thursday, June 30, 2005

Letter from Rod Woodbury

ISN'T CAPE CORAL ALREADY IN A DEBACLE REGARDING THE UNBID SEWER SYSTEM AND NOW IT'S LET'S BAIL OUT SCOTT SCILER AND HIS BOYS BECAUSE HE CAN'T RUN A GOLF COURSE.

I MET WITH ERIC FEICHTHALER YESTERDAY AND FROM HIS COMMENTS IT APPEARS SOMEONE HAS TO BUY THE GOLF COURSE AND MAKE IT PROFITABLE BY INCREASING HOUSING DENSITY, BUILDING HIGH RISE APARTMENTS OR SOME OTHER CREATIVE NUISANCE. ISN'T THIS PARAMOUNT TO ME BUYING A RESTAURANT, SPENDING MONEY ON THE IMPROVEMENT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO AVOID FORECLOSURE BECAUSE I CHARGED TOO MUCH FOR MEALS OR OTHERWISE CAN'T CUT IT? ISN'T THIS SILER'S PROBLEM?

WOULD I OR ANY BODY EXPECT THE CITY TO BAIL ME OUT. HARDLY! BETTER YET, WHO WOULD EXPECT THE CITY TO BUY IT FROM ME FOR FIVE TIMES WHAT I PAID FOR IT AND TURN IT INTO AN EYESORE ALL IN AN EFFORT TO ASSIST ME. SCILER TOOK THE RISK WHEN HE BOUGHT THE COURSE. THE PUBLIC DIDN'T. IF THE PUBLIC DIDN'T EXPECT TO PROFIT FROM HIS VENTURE WHY SHOULD THEY BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR HIS INABILITY.

THE MAYOR FURTHER EXPLAINED THAT SOME $5,000,000 A YEAR WOULD BE SAVED IN TRANSPORTATION COST FOR NOT HAVING TO BUS THE KIDS WITHIN THE 2 MILE RADIUS OF THE GOLF CLUB. I GUESS THIS IS WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED PUBLIC GOOD OR ECONOMIC BENEFIT WHICH THE US SUPREME COURT HAS RULED IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED FOR SEIZURE OF PRIVATE PROPERTY. CONSIDER THIS, HOWEVER. THERE ARE 221 HOUSES ON THE PERIPHERY OF THE GOLF COURSE AND ALL OF BANYON TRACE CONDOS. THE HOUSES ALONE AVERAGING $300,000 EACH ACCOUNT FOR $66,300,000 IN PROPERTY VALUE.

IF A SCHOOL IS PERMITTED IN AS A REPLACEMENT FOR A GOLF COURSE THE NOISE OF BANDS, PLAY GROUNDS, BUSES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND NIGHT FLOOD LAMP LIGHTING OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE ENOUGH TO DECREASE PROPERTY VALUES WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF WHAT THE MAJOR ADVANTAGE IS TO LIVE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE - THE VIEW AND PEACEFULNESS OF THE AREA.

ROD WOODBURY
CAPE CORAL