Tim Meyer is a Duluth architect and community builder. Reach him at tim.meyer@meyergroupduluth.com
I attended last week’s public event on the Lester Park Golf Course Redevelopment, and noticeably absent was golf. No golf in any of the three options presented. I think in a Land Use Plan that is supposed to be driven by the public and public involvement, this is severely irresponsible. I spent a lot of time in District 1, hearing a vast majority want a return of golf and open space, housing, recreation.
I am well aware of our course management agreements for Enger Golf Course and concern of competition from a reopened Lester Park Golf Course. This says nothing about private or non-profit reopening of golf. Golf was a centerpiece of all Lester Park Working Group options which have never been publicly presented. Our neighborhood wants our golf course back. It was never managed by the City to make money. It can be profitable.
Let’s operate in an atmosphere of transparency and show the public everything planned instead of trying to lead to a specific outcome. This smacks of “hidden agenda”. In a fit of directionless rage, I posted this on my personal Facebook account, and what resulted, was a community conversation. Not one with people who “sit in my camp”, but people from all political affiliations and positions. Resulting in what has been missing. A community conversation on the redevelopment of the Lester Park GC. And people were respectful, for the most part, and shared their views. This is what has been missing. And respectful of the positions of others. What results is a picture of what Lester Park Redevelopment should be, when you include everyone in the conversation.
What started it was the noticeable lack of golf discussion in the Lester Park land Use Planning, no Golf Community Member on the Steering Committee, no golf options. No golf discussion.
And in my opinion, this is just wrong and disrespectful of those in our neighborhood who have served the cause of trying to re-open or reimagine a golf facility for our neighborhood. In May 2024, a Community Meeting was held at east High School on the Lester Park Golf Course Working Group Kick-Off. This well attended meeting included hundreds of community members and city representatives on a Thursday night prior to a holiday weekend. 80% of those attending were in support of a re-opening of the golf course. All four (4) Working Gorup Options presented to the City Council included a re-opening of golf in some form, including the one prepared by our ten (10) recreation groups in Duluth.
Now it is not even part of the conversation?
I am sorry, this smacks of a hidden agenda. Where is the City really going with this, hiring an expensive planning and engineering consultant over utilizing four (4) options generated by a hand-picked community group appointed by Mayor Reinert? Then go into the media and represent it has a failure.
I am now a Parks & Recreation Commissioner. I have heard now from the inside that the City cannot re-open a golf course at Lester due to covenants and provisions in the Management Agreement for the Enger Park GC. This says nothing of a privately developed or non-profit option. They simply do not want the competition for the Enger Park facility.
This City has chosen for us. Without any public input or public involvement, public hearings. All the decisions now appear to be around protecting Enger Park GC and not listening to what our residents have loudly asked for. Private management with private redevelopment makes sense and long term adds this area back onto our tax rolls where it belongs.
I have reviewed 10-15 + years of financials and golf course losses were of $100-150,000 per year, when a $5-10 increase in green fees would have put the course into the black. Subsidy was always a plan behind the Lester Park Golf Course, it was not managed to make money.
Across the bay in the same period the Nemadji Golf Course made money under the private management of Mark Carlson. Under Mark’s Plan, it still makes money. Private management works. And there is a profit to be put back into the facility.
The City is spending upwards of $300K to replicate efforts already undertaken by a hand-picked group, appointed by the Mayor and at no cost whatsoever to the City of Duluth. These plans that resulted have not ever been presented in detail, ever, to anyone in the larger community. Can anyone explain this to me? Why?
And all the new options include Housing and Recreation in varying levels of density and coverage. Who decided we didn’t need golf? No one in Lakeside, Lester Park, Morely Heights or Hunters Park and Woodland. And now Two Harbors and Superior benefit from our players going to play facilities in those communities. More money out of Duluth’s economy.
Put this decision back into the community where it belongs and out of the hands of a small group of people who stand to financially benefit. This process smacks of a hidden agenda and completely lacks transparency. Time to take decisions like these out of the hands of a small group and back to the community where it belongs. Duluth residents are smarter than you give us credit for. Let the community decide it is only right and just to do so. This is public land.
