This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Kurt Kragthorpe addressed on July 24 his views on closing a few Salt Lake City golf courses. Other than reducing the number of holes at Rose Park, no solutions to the cost of maintaining open space and golf courses within the city were offered. Here are some solid, economically viable solutions and no golf courses or parks would be closed:
1. Charge daily entry or use fees at all public parks, say $5 to enter Liberty Park and Sugar House Park.
2. Eliminate free parking at all city parks and at all city golf courses by putting in those lovely (moneymaking) blue parking meters.
3. Charge a daily use fee for Fairmont and Tanner Park of $3. However, those two parks would need to be fenced to control trespassers and freeloaders.
4. Charge a bicycle use fee for all parks and trails of $2 per day, and $200 per year to use the city streets.
5. All street parking within the city should be metered.
6. And finally, a dog use fee at all parks and open space of $1 per dog per day.
After all there should be no service or public facilities provided or supported by the city, with our tax money, that are not independently economically self-sustaining.
The above ideas and concepts are as stupid shortsighted and without merit as is the idea of closing or reducing the size of any of the city golf courses.
As taxpayers we are entitled to some bang for our tax buck other than the sound of gnashing teeth by our elected city "leaders."
Bruce Cohne
Salt Lake City