Golf Clubhouse Opponents in Pacific Grove, Calif., Propose New Ballot Measure[/i]
By Jonathan Segal, The Monterey County Herald, Calif.
Apr. 10--Foes of the $3.5 million Pacific Grove golf clubhouse project are taking another swing at a ballot measure to vote it down.
After city officials process the proposal next week, the group, called Residents for a Reasonable Remodel, will begin collecting signatures. But the City Council may move forward on the project at its meeting later this month, when it will consider whether to request bids for its construction.
The city could have a contract to build the project as early as June, said City Manager Ross Hubbard, while November would be the earliest possible date for a ballot measure. If construction on the project begins before a vote, the vote would be moot.
If passed, the ballot measure would limit development on the Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links to buildings that already exist, dashing plans to build a new golf clubhouse, cart storage barn and starter's shack. However, the proposed measure would allow structures currently on golf course property to be expanded by as much as 40 percent.
"I think that they should allow the people to vote," said Lorna Torkos, a founder of the anti-clubhouse group. "The people own the golf clubhouse and the people own the golf course, so it's really for the people to decide."
Clubhouse booster Bruce Obbink, chairman of the city's Golf Course Advisory Committee and a candidate for City Council, had a different opinion.
"I think it's way too late to do that," said Obbink. "The process is moving forward."
To get the measure on the general election ballot, the group has to collect 10,000 signatures, about 10 percent of the city's registered voters.
The group tried to get a measure on the ballot earlier this year, collecting more than 1,500 signatures. But it was thwarted when the city found a legal defect in the petition's language, causing the City Council to throw out the ballot measure.
Some Pacific Grove residents oppose the new clubhouse because they believe it is a poor use of resources as the city faces a financial crisis. Others object to its size, design or possible environmental effects, worrying that the project's larger dining facilities might attract crowds to the quiet oceanside neighborhood.
Clubhouse backers say a new facility is necessary to accommodate tourists and locals with better restrooms and dining facilities. They say that only golf revenue will be used to pay for the 1,000-square-foot facility.
-----To see more of the Monterey County Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.montereyherald.com.
(c) 2004, Monterey County Herald, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.