Government bailout and...Disc golf?

[mrsenortyler]

Is it true that the City of Austin is seeking money from the bailout for a disc golf course?

This is what I copied from a news article:

Disc golf course
Austin, Texas - the city where thousands of car bumpers showcase the ‘Keep Austin Weird’ sticker - lives up to its slogan.

The city has asked the federal government for more than $850K to build a disc golf course, according to ABC News. Disc golf (also called frisbee golf) is a game in which individual players throw a frisbee into a basket or at a target.

$850k would be one helluva course.

[nastyNate]

that or 75 or 80 good ones!

[disclizard]

O come on are you for real? you know all of that won't go to the course. just like any bail out money the government has given it gets detributed first to the CEOs or other higher ups first. They need thier jets, caddies and condoes payed for . Then some will go to exsisting prodjects such as finishing the marble floors at the court house or maybe 15 new $2500 toilets in at town hall. Then the left over $1800 will buy new baskets for a course that will be cramed in a 4 acre park with a playground that floods twice a year on 3 acres of the land.

[scarpfish]

I was discussing this with some folks on the DGCR forums. I too balked when I saw that number, but then realized that a great deal of the money would be to build roads, paths, and other infrastructure into the piece of land in question to make it usable as a disc golf course. Once you consider the amount of construction that would be needed, $800K+ isn't that off a number. The actual installation probably wouldn't cost that much more than your normal course.

Here is the project in question. It's actually planned to be a 2 course complex.

http://www.houckdesign.com/current_disc ... urses.html

Raul Alvarez Disc Golf Complex - Austin, Texas

This landmark project by the City of Austin will feature two championship 18-hole courses on a spectacular property bordering Little Walnut Creek. This facility, designed to include a permanent pro shop, will be a breakthrough in municipal managed play of disc golf. Opening date uncertain.

If you look at that picture, this wouldn't be your "fit a disc course into an existing park" kind of project. They literally have to build the park first..

And while I don't approve of this sort of project being paid for with stimulus money, I don't like how the media is making it out to be the next "bridge to nowhere". Somehow, I don't think they'd be carping on this so much if the same amount of money were being used just as inappropriately on a playground, baseball complex, soccer fields, or something that is used by "establishment" type people.

[mrsenortyler]

Don't see why they need federal tax payers dollars to finance it though. Sounds like a municipal project to me.

[ronconversjr]

Because there are no "earmarks" directing where the money is to be spent, it is up to the receiver of the $ ! How many people would be hired, how long will this project benefit the community(both short term hiring/construction and long term use), what are the other uses of this facility?

[ronconversjr]

The course itself is on a 20 acre parcel of a 550acre complex! I bet the course isn't getting all the money.

[skeen]

Larry Flynt asked for a porn industry bailout. Even though it's not needed, why not? Everyone may as well get the cash while they can. If the city of Austin gets this opportunity, they need to build multiple pay to play courses and not public courses. I'm for the idea of constructing a sick disc golf "area". The problem is then that the money brought back in would have to be taxed. If not, the disc golf community in Austin has done is scammed the system and the people.

Example:
Charge $9.35 a head at 7% tax is $10.

It weeds out a lot of crowding, some crowding. Payers only. Bring a kid? 10 bucks. Bring a stroller with two infants? 20 bucks. Well, 20.01 plus you 30.02

[ronconversjr]

I must not understand where you are going with this. Do you mean that taxpayers that play disc golf should pay...again? Remember, of the 550 acre total project, disc golfers get 20 acres. Who is benefiting besides the golfers? Looks like...everybody else.

[skeen]

The bailout needs to be used to pump money back into the economy. If this disc golf course is taking up 20 out 550 acres it is taking up 20 acres of land that can be used to build establishments that create revenue. I like disc golf as much as everyone else but....if there's going to be a course on it needs to produce. if not, it's not a stimulus worthy expenditure.

[Schoen-hopper]

This doesn't even scratch the surface of government waste....

This is going to be a cutting edge project for Houck. It's going to give disc golf a spotlight as this will be right in the middle of a developed area.

The Austin area has some great things going for disc golf. I love playing down there; just tons of outstanding courses.

[scarpfish]

Ron, where did you see the 20 acres part? That seems like an awfully tight fit for 36 "championship caliber" holes. To clarify, the project in question is NOT the MetCenter project at the top of Houck's current projects page, but the Raul Alvarez project further down.

In case anybody was wondering, this was intended to be a pay for play facility.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/n ... 7&cxcat=52

The thing is, this was simply an item on an informal list of project the city of Austin could have ready to go to use stimulus money on. No federal money has been appropriated for this project, and I doubt any would have, even without the hubbub this story raised.

Still, its nice to think that we have some parks departments starting to think of disc golf in terms of a sport that needs dedicated facilities that players will pay to use (just like regular golf courses, swimming pools, and ball diamonds), and not just a recreational activity to fill dead space in a multi-use park.

[skeen]

Raul Alvarez Disc Golf Complex - Austin, Texas

This landmark project by the City of Austin will feature two championship 18-hole courses on a spectacular property bordering Little Walnut Creek. This facility, designed to include a permanent pro shop, will be a breakthrough in municipal managed play of disc golf. Opening date uncertain.


This changes everything

[Nivek9]

The bailout needs to be used to pump money back into the economy. If this disc golf course is taking up 20 out 550 acres it is taking up 20 acres of land that can be used to build establishments that create revenue. I like disc golf as much as everyone else but....if there's going to be a course on it needs to produce. if not, it's not a stimulus worthy expenditure.

You may be missing the point of much of the the stimulus package as proposed by Obama. If this project were approved and the money allocated it would not have to be pay-to-play for it to benefit the economy and be "a stimulus worthy expenditure". The fact that jobs would be created and money spent with businesses that would do the work and supply the equipment is the major focus of many of the spending proposed in the stimulus package. This is similar to FDRs New Deal during the Great Depression that created jobs through the WPA and other initiatives. Obama has proposed creating jobs through government backed initiatives to repair and improve US infrastructure as part of the package. As long as this huge amount doesn't get wasted on pork barrel projects for special interests that don't create jobs the intended economic affect may occur, but I wouldn't hold my breath. But since you say this course was intended as pay-to-play to begin with my point is moot... but I'm just sayin' is all....

[skeen]

is it not the actions of irresponsible Texans that have helped us get into this lovely situation?

not a crack against Texas. Only things Bushed.