News Article:

(Note: Since this article was first published, Mayor Dolan confirmed his disapproval of beverage carts on the golf course....therefore, the Park Commission will not move forward on this plan.)

The following article was recently written and published in local newspapers to address the Association's concerns about the Park Commission's request to the Mayor to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages on the golf course.

 “The Mt. Hood Park Association is Against the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on the Mount Hood Golf Course”

At last week’s Park Commission meeting (March 14th), Chairman Michael Interbartolo informed the commissioners and those in attendance that he is composing a letter to Mayor Dolan asking for his approval to allow beer to be sold on the golf course using a roving “beverage cart”. This same request was denied by the Mayor back in 2009 and the Association believes that nothing has changed since that time to justify granting the request this year. The principal purpose of selling beer on the course is to increase revenues since Golf Management Company, LLC (GMC), the current management company at Mount Hood Park and Golf Course, believes that the beverage cart can generate an additional $50-60,000 per year in gross revenues.

The Association believes that GMC as well as the Park Commission have done an excellent job in managing the golf course by increasing play and providing improved ambiance and food quality at the clubhouse which have helped lead to increased revenues annually. Some of the profits from this operation have made it possible to make significant improvements in the physical infrastructure of the course as well as in making substantial physical and mechanical improvements to the clubhouse.  This past year revenues exceeded 1.5 million dollars and the senior management group at GMC, as well as the Park Commission, must be commended for these efforts since a percentage of these revenues come back to the city for maintenance and improvements to the course and to Mount Hood Park.

Nevertheless, to provide further justification for our position against the sale of beer on the golf course, I wish to bring the following information to the attention of the residents of Melrose:

(1)   GMC states that their experience in the eight (8) golf courses they own or operate in New Hampshire, in which selling alcoholic beverages is allowed; provide evidence that they can successfully implement such a policy. However, after comparing these golf courses with that at Mt. Hood, some major differences exist as follows: (a) Mount Hood is the only one where residential homes abut directly to the golf course, (b) Mt. Hood is the only one where access is through a densely populated residential area, and (c) Mt. Hood is the only one where there is mixed use where a public park area is integrated within the golf course space (e.g., non-golf activities include hiking, scenic viewing, walking and a tot lot).

 (2)   GMC contends that customers enjoy the convenience of a beverage cart where they can purchase not only beer, but sandwiches, snacks, soda, or basic golf necessities. The Association believes that providing all these items for purchase, except alcoholic beverages, makes sense as a convenience to the golfing public.  However, selling alcoholic beverages on the golf course only encourages its consumption; and, we believe that this practice is incompatible with a sport that depends so much on eye-hand coordination and cognitive judgment. Most serious golfers relax after a round of golf at the clubhouse to enjoy snacks and refreshments, and a discussion of the days’ events.  Allowing consumption of alcohol on the course doesn’t add anything to the game of golf and over-drinking may result in not only poor play, errant balls landing in abutter’s backyards, play delays, and litter but may also add risk and danger to residents and children using the park. GMC already acknowledges that they have trouble controlling unauthorized use of alcohol by golfers on the course. How can we be sure that they can now properly control and monitor the selling and consumption of alcoholic beverages from beverage carts?

 (3)   Last summer, there was a drinking party incident at Mount Hood in which a youth was seriously injured. Like other cities, we know there is an alcohol problem among our youth; therefore, what lesson or example do we show them if we say that it is o.k. for some people to drink on the golf course. Even GMC and the Park Commission feel uncomfortable about selling beer within sight of the public since beer sales will be restricted to those areas not within sight of residential homes, ponds, and the tot lot (e.g., excluding beer sales at holes 1 through 3 and beyond the 15^th green).

 We encourage GMC, the Park Commissioners, and the Mayor to consider the concerns of abutters and nearby neighbors who moved to Melrose for its schools, community organizations, neighborhood parks, and green spaces. The police, Park Commission, Park Department, and golf management companies have, over the years, expended much time, effort, and money to control vandalism and youth alcohol consumption at Mount Hood. The Association believes that now is not the time to encourage the use of alcohol on the golf course. We believe that this sends the wrong message to everyone including our youth.

Our message should be loud and clear……”Welcome to Mount Hood Memorial Park and Golf Course – an Alcohol-Free Area!”

The Association asks that you make your views known on this topic by sending them to either the Park Commission via Joan Bell at (781) 662-0210 (email: jbell@cityofmelrose.org) or Mayor Rob Dolan at (781) 979-4440 (email: rdolan@cityofmelrose.org).

The following is M. Dittmer's response to a letter written by Park Commission Chairman Michael Interbartolo on Mayor Dolan's recent Field Plan. M. Dittmer's article was  published in the "Melrose Free Press" on October 21, 2010.

Title: Only the Mayor’s Numbers Make Sense

I read with great interest in last week’s paper that current Chairman of the Park Commission, Michael Interbartolo, objects to Mayor Dolan’s efforts to use the Mount Hood Enterprise Fund to pay the debt service of bonds taken out to revitalization the high school football/baseball area and creating an athletic track and field complex at Pine Banks Park. This is a “dream come true” for our city and for current and future students who will be able to play on these state-of-the-art athletic fields.  Based on published information on the designs, a total of five fields will be created or refurbished and the Melrose contribution to his project will cost about 5.5 million. Mr. Interbartolo’s main point of objection appears to be that taking on so much debt would “jeopardize the financial stability of Mount Hood for golfing and general park use.

However, Mr. Interbartolo didn’t provide any evidence to support this contention in his article, nor did he note that up until this year, he was willing to sacrifice valuable open, green space at Mount Hood Memorial Park for one soccer field with an estimated price tag of between 4 to 6 million dollars! In addition, he neglected to disclose that he has already approved over $50,000 in Enterprise Funds for studies related to the single proposed field at Mount Hood.  And again, he failed to include the fact that the money to pay for this single soccer field would come from the same Mount Hood Enterprise Fund that the mayor wants to utilize to pay for the bond debt service.

As the expression goes, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what a great deal the city is getting by using the same funding mechanism, the Mount Hood Enterprise Fund, to build and refurbish 5 fields. Mr. Interbartolo wanted to build one soccer field at Mount Hood for about 5 million dollars and destroy about 10 acres of parkland, while the Mayor Dolan wants to spend 5.5 million to create and refurbish 5 fields with enhanced facilities at existing fields.

The Mount Hood Park Association thinks that Mayor Dolan has the right figures and the right plan for the city and we encourage all residents to support his plan. It isn’t often that a city can build multiple field complexes without impacting tax rates.  And because of this, we applaud Mayor Dolan for his innovative and creative thinking and keeping his pledge to provide the youth of our city with the parks and fields needed for the 21^st century.

Mount Hood Memorial Park – Benign Neglect?

July 31, 2009

It was recently learned from a preliminary report of a feasibility study being conducted by Beals & Thomas, that the Park Commission will need to pay a premium price for any construction of potential athletic fields at Mount Hood. This information was disclosed at Monday evening’s meeting of the Park Commission. Robert Weidknecht, from Beals & Thomas, described how the nature of the rocky terrain, access difficulty, wetland issues and certified vernal water pools, all contribute to add millions of dollars of additional costs to any construction work conducted at Mount Hood.

At the meeting, Mr. Weidknecht highlighted a number of different design scenarios that ranged from a field and track area (along with an attached field events area) to several practice golf driving ranges. Additional designs are being studied and will be presented at a special meeting of the Park Commission on Monday, August 3^rd. What was missing from his presentation was a plan for passive recreation development. The Park Commission has previously made commitments to city groups that this important aspect of parkland use has been included in the scope of the feasibility study. The Association is disappointed that no plans have been developed to address passive recreation development at Mount Hood Park.

Although some groups in Melrose have voiced the need for additional athletic fields, we question the value of spending millions of dollars as a premium price before you even begin paying for construction costs. Does this really represent the most cost-effective and efficient use of limited dollars to address the problem? We understand that the Mount Hood Park and Golf Course is self-sustaining, having its own dedicated Enterprise Fund whose monies come from golfing and refreshments/goods sold at the clubhouse. For many years during the time this Fund was established, Mount Hood Park has suffered from “benign neglect”?

Because of the success of the golf course due to improved course management and marketing by the management group at Mount Hood, Golf Management Company, Inc., the revenue stream into the Enterprise Fund has been steady and consistent over the past number of years. The Association believes that an effort should be made to make the necessary

improvements to neglected areas at Mount Hood Park even while the Park Commission and the city explores additional athletic fields. Even if it is decided that athletic fields should be built at Mount Hood, this is a long term project involving several years. Meanwhile, areas of the park are rapidly deteriorating and remain in disrepair, producing blight on what everyone acknowledges as being Melrose’s green jewel.

Some of the areas needing immediate attention include among others, (1) dredge First Pond to improve the viability of the pond and aquatic life, and to minimize local neighborhood flooding, (2) explore additional sources of water for irrigation of the golf course, (3) repair and improve security of Slayton Tower, one of the more beautiful locations in the park to view Boston and southern New Hampshire skylines, (4) restore, improve, and expand walking and biking trails, and (5) install vandal-proof benches and picnic tables throughout the park for the enjoyment of all.

We think now is the time for the Park Commission to consider needed park improvements described above while they continue to pursue other projects at Mount Hood Park. To do less is continuing the policy of “benign neglect”.

We recommend that the public attend the August 3^rd meeting to voice their concerns or opinions on these matters since they will impact park use today, tomorrow, and for future generations.

For more information on the Mt. Hood Park Association contact Ralph Sarni, Membership Chairman, 75 Altamont Ave, Melrose, MA, Tele: (781) 665-0459.

Written by:

Myron F. Dittmer, Jr.
President
Mt. Hood Park Association

Melrose Free Press (3/5/09)