Letter: Let voters decide on golf course

2
22

To the editor,

As a taxpayer in the Borough of Naugatuck I follow the budget process closely each year, and I am concerned that the Board of Finance cannot seem to make any substantial reduction to either the town’s budget or the school budget. The board members say that residents complain but offer no solutions. Yet one solution was suggested, and that was to not fund the golf course anymore. I personally think that this should be seriously looked into.

We all know that there is very little business in town anymore. The heydays of Uniroyal, and Chemical and Peter Paul companies paying taxes to support the running of our town are gone. One by one companies are moving away from Naugatuck leaving the residents to pay for their services.

Many thanks go to Matt Katra who spearheaded the referendum to reduce the budgets. He stated that the golf course should be revenue neutral but each year it continues to need town funding. Golf courses are used by a select few and are costly to maintain.

This is town property and it could be put to good use as a park, with ball fields, a walking track, a community garden and large events could be held there. We are in desperate need of this in our town. It would not require the extensive, and expensive, care that maintaining a golf course does. Everyone in town could utilize this beautiful piece of property which is in such a good location with easy access for all. Our senior graduations could be held there instead of paying to rent the Palace Theater in Waterbury every year now at considerable cost to us.

If you were looking to move into Naugatuck, which would be the bigger draw, a golf course — for golfers only, or a centrally-located recreation area for all the public to use? When elections come up in November, I would like to see the ballot include a question for the voters: 1. Should the borough continue to support having a golf course? and 2. Should this town property be made into a recreational park for town residents?

I believe that the taxpayers who keep this town running with their hard-earned dollars should make this decision in the voting booth. So many residents are hurting financially and our tax dollars should be spent wisely, for the good of all who live in Naugatuck. No one wants to invest in a business or live in a town where taxes are such a heavy burden.

Mary Davis

Naugatuck

2 COMMENTS

  1. I am sick and tired of hearing sell the golf course, privatize the golf course. You people who hate golf need to understand that this is the ONLY thing Naugatuck has that brings in revenue to the borough to help fund the up keeping of all the fields that other sports teams use, such as Rotary as an example. Without the golf course, our fields would not be what they are. Municipality golf courses are made for recreational purposes. If anyone has issues with what we are doing to improve everything at Hop Brook, please feel free to meet me personally and stop whining in the newspapers. I will show you how I am developing programs to bring this so called defecit down, and within time hopefully turn it all around. But let me leave you with a thought- what other sport can you have enjoyment from ages 4-93? Hop Brook Golf Course needs to remain a major part of the history of Naugatuck. And I intend to not only make that happen, I intend to turn it all around here.

  2. “It would not require the extensive, and expensive, care that maintaining a golf course does.”

    Do you have a financial analysis to back that up or are you just guessing?

    “Our senior graduations could be held there instead of paying to rent the Palace Theater”

    What would happen if it rains during graduation?