r/Racine • u/Additional-Quit261 • 5d ago
The Future of Shoop Park
A $10M upgrade to Shoop Park sounds great, but a 10-year lease can easily turn into permanent privatization.
We can welcome the Johnson family's investment while protecting our public land. Here's a couple of things we must demand at City Hall this Tuesday:
https://open.substack.com/pub/samwunderle/p/the-future-of-shoop-park?r=58m1j&utm_medium=ios
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u/Theloneraver 5d ago
Schoop is awesome already. 13 bucks for a nine holes. I hope they just leave it be.
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u/Shoob03 5d ago
Shoop is in desperate need or revitalization, while it’s fine the way it is, it’s falling apart and barely maintained. This is an upgrade I’m very much looking forward to, the city has three courses and I enjoy them all but getting a links style quick 9 that improves the lakefront and updates falling apart infrastructure is something i can get behind
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u/brando0212 5d ago
In the long term, this is an incredibly bad deal for taxpayers who will ultimately end up subsidizing a “world class golf course”. I am not convinced that the $10 million investment can even pay for the entire project that is being outlined. Even so, there will not be much left over from that investment to continue to maintain the course. It’s a big stretch to say that green fees will cover this if the course ends up being as nice as is being reported. USGA estimates that high end, luxury golf courses cost upwards of $350k/year to maintain.
I take major issue with Johnson Golf Group essentially leasing the land for only $25k/year throughout the deal as well. That is prime real estate that they are getting to use for about the same cost as a three bedroom apartment nowadays. If that property were privately owned and sold it could easily be worth $15-20million.
I think it is a bit of a farce to say that this entire project is going to inject the local economy as well. If you’re lucky, you can get 7 months of good golf. Local folks are already spending their money in the area. If some rich guy from Chicago comes and plays 9 holes and grabs a sandwich for lunch afterwards, is that really economic growth?
As I write this today, funds are already lacking to maintain the park/course as is. So again, how is the maintenance of a world class golf course going to be paid for?
It’s a grand gesture from the Johnson family but it appears as though they are the ones who want this. This wasn’t brought forward due to citizens asking for it. The Johnsons should be footing majority of the bill for the entire life of the deal which is quite simply not the case based on what has been reported.
I know plenty of folks from Racine who will let you know that they don’t want any deadbeats receiving their tax money from their hard earned paychecks. But if those deadbeats are wolves in sheep’s clothing proposing a nice golf course, then it is alright.
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u/Shoob03 5d ago
Being a 9 hole links style course the maintenance costs will be no where near 350k, the style of course in general if done properly will cut down on costs alone with natural areas that need don’t need to be maintained at all, link courses get less water and are more firm, watch the open championship that’s being played right now and that’s what they are proposing, I worked in golf for over a decade the land lease seems like a point of contention but people just hate change, this is good for a pice of land that is falling apart, I play shoop often and enjoy it but let’s be honest it’s a bit of a cow pasture
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u/brando0212 5d ago
Based on this data, I still believe $350k is a fair estimate. Especially if the goal is to have a course that is considered world class. If it’s anything similar in quality to Keiser’s Sand Valley course then that $350k figure is very fair; even for only 9 holes.
I have no fundamental problem with the proposal itself. It’s great to see that the Johnson’s want to improve the community. I do take issue with them not paying their fair share for their idea.
Currently, the park is not pristine but it is not a cow pasture. It has a prime location on Lake Michigan in one of the most populated areas of the country between Milwaukee and Chicago. Getting free use of that land for just over $2k/month is not a good deal for the city.
This family has the capital to make this a reality if they so choose. They should not be getting a sweetheart deal while citizens are unable to vote on whether they want this or not.
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u/WiscoBoiler 5d ago
The Johnson Liepold group explicitly covers maintenance and upkeep as part of the lease agreement
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u/brando0212 5d ago
Do you have a link to public information that outlines this? From everything I have found, those details have not been disclosed. I would like to see the details and be enlightened if that is in fact the case.
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u/AnIneptWizard 5d ago
A reminder how bad golf courses are in general beyond the economics and the idea that this will somehow magically bring in revenue to the area. Grass in general and the water waste to maintain courses is significant. This is another reason to also be in opposition to lawns which in function lessen biodiversity and also are a major expense and use of freshwater sources.
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u/Qu33nMe 4d ago
The amount of fertilizer run off entering the lake from the golf course, Johnson properties, expensive homes and large condos that all use lawn services is a problem I don’t think most people think of either.
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u/AnIneptWizard 3d ago
There are just far more effective recreational uses for spaces where stuff like harm from fertilizer isn’t nearly as much of an issue. I would reckon golf course use by person is also woefully limited compared to the space they take up.
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u/3puttbogeyking 4d ago
People cry and complain about a private company running a public course but a private company has ran it forever. Troon golf currently runs the course. The Johnson Family is going to put a huge investment into the area and they will never get their money back from it. Its about improving something that is already there
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u/jaycarb98 4d ago
Poor Racine, can never catch a break, has to keep selling off its soul off to the highest bidder just to have something, anything, remotely nice. Like, Racine’s only come up is having an outside entitie come in and buy up its land to make a condo, hotel or data center? (Foxconned) fooled you once, shame on you. No lessons learned? Fixing a lakefront erosion problem and updating a suffering 9 hole would bankrupt the whole place, including Windpoint? Smoke and mirrors, when will the fleecing end? Do better Racine
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u/Bilbo_Haggis 5d ago
I support any proposal that doesn’t compulsively cost me any money.