Comments by MrDerek
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Posted on February 23 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Set aside the current economic conditions, and I still see Wedgewood struggling. 150 residential lots?...the City of Albert Lea issued less than 35 single-family building permits between 2001-2007 (during the low-rate housing boom). Similarly, the beautiful Somerby Golf Course in Byron set out with the same business plan. 4 miles from Rochester city limits (IBM, Mayo Clinic, etc), Somerby is losing money with several vacant lots and ever-increasing maintenance fees. Owatonna has several Fortune 1000 companies (employing thousands of white collar workers) and their scenario is: the City-owned course is paid by property taxes, the Country Club was losing money until Federated Insurance bought a majority stake in ownership, and Hidden Creek (the only course owned by individuals) is up for sale as they slip into bankruptcy. If you'd like a direct comparison, Austin is down a course and they have Hormel to carry the other course. Golf course margins are growing thin, disposable income is scarce, the housing market is almost non-existent, and Albert Lea lacks more than one major employer of middle-to-upper class workers. Kudos to Mr. Elseth for taking the initiative to draw golfers from other communities to Albert Lea with his reciprocal program. I may be an outsider looking in, but I think Green Lea is, and will continue to be, a valued asset to the Albert Lea Community.
P.S. - Green Lea HAS a course ranger (unless I was talking to an imposter), and after several trips down to Green Lea I've still yet to run into any mythical "hooligans."
Posted on November 18 at 3:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Set aside the current economic conditions, and I still see this business plan biting these owners. 150 residential lots?...the City of Albert Lea issued less than 35 single-family building permits between 2001-2007 (during the low-rate housing boom). Similarly, the beautiful Somerby Golf Course in Byron set out with the same business plan. 4 miles from Rochester city limits (IBM, Mayo Clinic, etc), Somerby is losing money with several vacant lots and ever-increasing maintenance fees. Owatonna has several Fortune 1000 companies (employing thousands of white collar workers) and their scenario is: the City-owned course is paid by property taxes, the Country Club was losing money until Federated Insurance bought a majority stake in ownership, and Hidden Creek (the only course owned by individuals) is up for sale as they slip into bankruptcy. If you'd like a direct comparison, Austin is down a course and they have Hormel to carry the other course. Golf course margins are growing thin, disposable income is scarce, the housing market is almost non-existent, and Albert Lea lacks more than one major employer of middle-to-upper class workers. Kudos to Mr. Elseth for taking the initiative to draw golfers from other communities to Albert Lea with his reciprocal program. I may be an outsider looking in, but I think Green Lea is, and will continue to be, a valued asset to the Albert Lea Community.
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Posted on February 25 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
MRALBERTLEA
Wow, Sir. Get a life!!!
My name is Derek Johnson, and I live in Owatonna, MN. Through wrestling, golf, etc. I know that the Elseths are an amiable family. Feel free to contact me when you mature a smidgen.
Good day, Sir.
On Golf in Albert Lea will not be the same again