In which Soup_du_jour picks a bone with COPS/Metro Alliance/Save Our Aquifer

The BBQ Pit
1

If you don’t follow San Antonio news, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but here it goes.

The PGA (the “major league” of American golf) proposed the building of a “PGA Village” in San Antonio. This golf resort would be one of the best destinations for golf in the nation. It will be only the second one in the United States. Any city worth its weight in dirt would jump at the chance to bring this economic and publicity boon to the city.

I guess San Antonio isn’t worth its weight in dirt.

The groups named above (COPS/METRO Alliance/Save Our Aquifer), for various reasons, are defying the city council (elected by voters, mind you) and its no-brainer decision to endorse the deal by starting a petition drive for signatures to put the PGA issue on the November ballot. The PGA has pulled the plug on the deal, citing the probability of a messy campaign, and the tainting of the PGA’s good name.

So, the developer, Lumberman’s Development, must go with Plan B, and will, in all probability, plop a subdivision on the site.

So, the end result is this:

  1. San Antonio turns down (stupidly) one of the greatest development deals in its history. We lose a great resort for golfers around the world.
  2. We miss out on more jobs for San Antonians.
  3. Instead of a PGA development and golf resort, which would maintain some of the highest environmental standards in the world, we get 2000-4000 extra homes filled with folks dumping antifreeze down storm drains. THAT’S environmentally friendly! :rolleyes:

And San Antonians don’t even get to vote on the issue! A few environmental alarmists ruin the oppertunity to attract a world-class golf resort for the rest of us! Yes, they did collect enough signatures to force a referendum. But there have been reports that these people did everything humanly possible to get those signatures. Many were fron out-of-district areas that aren’t eligible to vote in the elections. These folks made kids sign the petitions as proxies for their parents. “Oh, trust me. They would sign this anyway, honey. You do want clean water, don’t you? THAN SIGN!” they say.

I guess these people haven’t considered the fact that 4000 families will do a lot more damage to the Edwards Aquifer than a few golf courses run by the PGA, a company with impeccable records in environmental responsibility.

Oh, and San Antonio just started flouridating water. We were the largest city yet to do so. Some alarmists are going around proclaiming the evils of “toxic waste being pumped into our water supply.” The plan is to raise the concentration from 0.3 ppm to 0.7 ppm. Studies have shown repeatedly that flouride helps prevent tooth decay in children. Any dentist worth his/her DDS supports this plan.

So, congratulations to whichever city ends up with the world-class PGA Village Golf Resort. I hope the enjoyment your city has exceeds the ignorance my city has.

GRRRR.:smack:

2

Do you really think they should be having a big green expansive lush grass course in TEXAS? The West has major aquifer problems, and somehow a golf course spraying water on its links every day doesn’t seem too good for conservation. Unless it’s one of the zero-water courses, that is. What happens in a particularly hot summer when the water is being conserved and the grass is toasted? You have to resead it and dump water on it for the benefit of a niche of golfers. Not every golfer has the scratch to play at a PGA course every time they hit a ball, so it would be catering to a select few anyway. Sorry, but I am with the environmentalists on this one. Bring the water tables up and it could be a possibility. It does suck that they are putting in subdivisions though. I guess it is a no-win situation!

Of course, I could be spewing a festeringly huge sack of shit.

3

Nothing against golf or golfers*, but the last thing we need is more fucking golf courses.

Not that I’m a fan of irresponsible suburban sprawl, either.

*mostly because Iggy digs golf.

4

Ah, but black455! This isn’t just a golf course.

It’s a frickin’ PGA Village! Only two in the country!

Make that one.

5

Hrrm.

I’m also in San Antonio and from what I kept hearing on the news (I didn’t follow it too closer since in all honesty I don’t give a flying fuck)… But I mean something like that SHOULD be on the ballot. The public should be able to decide what is done with public land. Also, the water here already tastes like ass I don’t really understand how either the PGA village or anything else could make it taste any worse.

My only problem with the PGA village is:

Hasn’t San Antonio been in drout conditions for like the last 5 years? So why would you build a commercial site that DEPENDS on water to generate money? I mean it takes a heck of a lot of water to keep a top level golf course green… and well huge, expensive, influencial golf course with high water demands…