Harmony Club or timber clearing question

[Harmony]

Thank you Lou, and a few others for taking the high road during this astounding bashing of a totally above board, honest and legal effort to build a top quality golf club.

And to think this all started when someone asked us about cutting down trees!

I will not attempt to discuss on this forum the details of the  business model of Harmony.  I will not quote numbers of members who have committed by deposits and Promissory Notes to pay the Initiation Deposit in effect at the time they decided to join.  Harmony is represented by prestigious legal counsel and we will defend our honor in court if necessary.

What I WILL say is that at NO time has any person ever been deceived by the membership model for this club.  From day One, every person was told we would escrow in a local bank all deposit monies until we reached 100 mbrs.  At that point, we felt we would a)have a critical mass of interest in the club, and b) have committed cash deposits and notes that would total enough money to get a significant part (if not all) of the course built...without having to borrow a penny.  If we were not able to reach that goal by Apr. 1 of this year, every penny of escrow money, plus interest will be returned by our escrow agent.

I and my partners in this project have invested over $1MM of seed money w/ absolutely no insurance that we'll ever see a dime of return.  The mbrs. we have, have obligated close to $2MM that is sitting in escrow and/or is obligated via Promissory Note.

We have a 150 yr. lease on the property that has value, but w/out building the course, we are at great risk of never seeing any return.  Is that a strategy of nefarious crooks that have a dark underbelly?

I am disgusted at the insinuations made by Mr. Frey and am truly puzzled at what has triggered his venom.  We have no interest in "competing" w/ any local developments, since we don't and won't sell real estate.  If there is any local ill will, I can only speculate it possibly came from the principals of Cuscowilla, who have seen some of their members/property owners buy a 2nd membership at Harmony, and who were politely turned down when they attempted to buy us out a year ago.

I will welcome anyone who is w/in driving distance of us to personally come and see the "scam", and discuss in person the details of our membership plan and business model.  I will not give Mr. Frey the pleasure of any further response, and would warn him to exercise caution at any further damaging posts on this forum.

Kent Hassell

[SL_Solow]

As the question arises from time to time, slander is generally used to describe defamatory statements made orally while libel is defamation via print or other non verbal expressions(eg. photographs, bill boards).  Truth is a defense to defamation actions but truth in this context usually refers to reliance on objective facts and may not cover one's sincerely felt but ultimately incorrect subjective interpretations.  Finally, under the laws of most states as well as England, challenging the honesty of a person in their business dealings is a form of libel per se which means that the statement is assumed to be libelous and the party making the statement (the defendant) has the burden of proving its truth (the reverse of the burden in most civil cases).  Thus those who are suggesting that the party crying "scam" should present something other than rumor or innuendo to support their claim are actually doing what a court is likely to do if an action is ever brought.  Now, more realistically, no one should suggest that statements made in this forum are significant enough to give rise to the time , trouble, publicity, and expense that a defamation suit would entail.  Nor should any of us feel that our discussions may be chilled by the possibility that someone may become angered and bring a suit against someone on the other side of an argument.  But we should observe the common courtesy of confining our arguments to the merits of any issues we are discussing, whether they be the strategic merits of a particular course, the rankings posited by a magazine, or the economic feasibility of a project in a particular market at a given time.  Suggesting that a developer is dishonest; and the use of the term "scam" leaves no alternative interpretation; without any supporting evidence, does not add to anyone's knowledge.  It does not further the discussion.  If you think it appropriate to blow the whistle on someone by all means do it but do it in such a way that the rest of us have a chance to decide whether you are correct.  Otherwise don't waste our time.

[Bill_McBride]

Well said, Mr. Solow.  Enough of this unpleasant bashing, it's ugly and totally unproductive.

[Jason Tetterton]

Has anyone heard of the current status?  I was talking to another GCA member about it this past weekend?

[John_Cullum]

I heard a rumor that Harmony is somewhat stalled for now. Is there any new information?

[Don Herdrich]

they are still comparing themselves to Pine Valley on their web-site........so maybe they are getting closer.........

[kwl]

i heard the project was terminated. any further word or was the info incorrect?

[cary lichtenstein]

Who is PDrake? Does anyone know him? What axe is he grinding?