What are you doing about the Binks Forest Golf Course? There was a lot of discussion about Wellington buying it to make it our municipal golf course. It seemed it even came down to how much.
I applaud what you voted for in the last few years to improve our village; most recently, the new tennis courts and the upcoming senior center.
The Binks Forest Golf Course needs help. It is not up to the standards that golfers expect to play on. So, let me tell you what we would get for our money.
Golf architects Johnny Miller and Gene Bates built a unique golf course on 220 acres, full of majestic pines that guard tree-lined fairways. It was voted a top 75 Public Golf Course by Golf Digest, and it was good enough to host a PGA event, which Fred Couples and Mike Donald won.
The 30,000-square-foot banquet facility was completely renovated in 2007. It has a large outside pool, fitness center, men’s and ladies locker rooms, showers and a ballroom that seats up to 300.
The Binks golf course is our community; it includes five separate HOA developments. The Binks Preserve has 264 homes. Binks Estates has 109 homes. Hidden Creek has 99 homes. Brindlewood has 69 homes. Pine Trace has 41 homes. That’s a total of 582 homes that make up our community. Another 90 homes will be built soon, across the street from the clubhouse. The Binks Forest community is one of the best in the Village of Wellington.
What will become of the Binks Forest Golf Course? There have been many meetings and discussions, but to date, no conclusions. The price to buy the property and the costs to maintain it are issues. The golf course is deed restrictive. It must remain so in perpetuity, or it could become a park, if more than 50 percent of the village residents vote that way. The village would then be responsible for maintaining the property.
Cost is a bottle neck. The course is losing money now. The conditions are not very good, which is why the play is so low. But it could be profitable as a municipal course, like Okeeheelee, if we followed that course’s lead.
Our village has extensive properties of ball fields, pools, parks, trails, play grounds and much more. Wellington is wonderful at bringing things to our village, and what they have given us is always first class.
Money is important, but it is not everything. When this council wanted to build something, you did it. Recent examples are the tennis facility and the senior citizens building. They both went over budget.
As Vice Mayor John Greene said, “A golf course could be an amenity that offers real value to the village.”
Closing the Binks Forest course would see a major decline in property values for this community. It is up to this council to decide the golf course’s future. Let’s hope you make the right decision. It will be in perpetuity!
Morley Alperstein, Wellington
Editor’s note: Mr. Alperstein is the president of the Binks Estates Homeowners’ Association. He wrote this letter on behalf of several Binks Forest area HOA leaders.
That is a very impressive list Morley. Lots of homes in Binks. So let them buy it!
Don’t stick the bill on us for your problem
If Wellington bought Binks they would make a ton of money! Binks is a very nice layout but it’s never in good shape, thats why no one wants to play. If you build it, they will come. im all for Wellington buying Binks. to the post above, why not buy Wanderer’s club? Have fun with that! It cost 6 figures to just become a member
Not a penny nor a dime of taxpayer money for Binks Forest!!!
Let the homeowners all be accessed and they can own it and make money just as Morley is promoting. Gosh, Morley should be the first investor and than he can run the facility. If not than, the owners in Binks should go after the original developers, real estate brokers, previous homeowners and their attorneys for misrepresentations and fraud. Anyone selling or buying a home in Binks without full disclosure about the golf course issue is perpetrating a fraud.
Caveat emptor!!!
Am in total agreement with the “Taxpayers” response to Mr. Alperstein’s letter.
Why should the entire Village take on the responsibility for a golf course that according to Wellington’s own staff would require anywhere from three quarter of million to nearly three million dollars to renovate JUST the golf course!
Then, the Village would have to hire someone to maintain and run the golf course with an on-going cost to All taxpayers in Wellington.
Bink’s Golf Course currently has Less than 20 golf members! No amount of improvments will provide sufficient funds to even break even. The cost will be borne by the rest of the Village taxpayers so that Morley’s view will be maintained.
The Village would then be actively competing with Madison Green Golf Course in RPB, let alone competing with the other golf courses in Wellington who are all struggling to survive, and with the County’s golf course in Okeeheelee. How are these other golf courses doing? Are they showing a profit or are they struggling, too? That’s never been made public how surrounding courses public and private are doing.
As for the Bink’s ‘banquet facility’, the Village taxpayers would once again have to pick up the tab for any improvements and also hire someone to run the facility which would COMPETE with the new Civic Center (it’s not a Senior Center, Mr. Alperstein) banquet facilities being built on the old tennis courts near the Municipal Complex. Yes, let the Village compete with the Village to host banquets, so Bink’s residents can have their golf course.
Mr. Alperstein is a good ole boy who fought For the Village Manager, Paul Schofield to keep his job. Morley is active in representing HIS backyard, not the rest of the Village’s backyard. It’s great for those who live near Bink’s to have the Village perpetually take care of their ‘views’, but All of Wellington will be footing Morley’s and his pals’ backyard views in perpetuity
Why buy Bink’s and not buy the Wanderer’s Executive Golf Course?
Why buy Bink’s and not buy Greenview Shore’s Golf Course?
Why buy Bink’s and not buy the Wanderer’s Golf Course?
Why buy Bink’s and not buy the old Polo Golf Course off of Forest Hill?
It’s the good ole boys getting what they want and who cares about cost to the rest of the taxpayers in Wellington.
As Mr. Alperstein puts it himself in the above letter QUOTE: “Money is important, but it is not everything.” Yes, because it’s not HIS money to be used, it’s the entire Village funding Morley’s backyard view.
Mayor Margolis has stated over and over that next budget year there is little money in the bank to fund Wellington projects. That means tax increases are on the horizon for Wellington residents.
Let a private developer buy and run the course or develop it. Let them foot the bill, not all the taxpayers in Wellington.
Lets get it straight. Any leader of the HOA has no right speaking in behalf of the community or the people as this is their personal view. Unfortunately we the people got stuck with a bag of crap and forced down our thorats on the town house’s.Lowering our house values for them to profit. Homeowners are now selling before the construction with out disclosing the future of the building and traffic plus the further of the golf course.
Now Morley want’s the village to buy this golf course for almost 4 million and they sold the old driving range for almost 3 million.Together it was worth 4 million as a golf course in good shape. It needs 1 to 1 1/2 million to bring it up to par. Just because they are losing money why should the taxpayer lose money and bail them out once again? Let them go broke close it and then the village take’s it over for free.
Morley and friends stop slicking it to the people and MYOB and find something else to do.