Keith Christensen
Sartell
I was able to attend the May 22 meeting of the Sartell City Council. Our Mayor Ryan Fitzthum, city council member Jed Meyer and former mayor Joe Perske did everything in their power to oppose the sale of the 81-acre Pine Ridge Golf Course, but to no avail. I don’t understand why there was such a rush to sell the land leased to the Pine Ridge Golf Course (which the city had paid $1.75 million for several years ago) for only $426,000, which is less than one-fourth of its original cost. I can only hope the new owner of the Pine Ridge Golf Course will maintain the 81 acres as a green space in perpetuity and that it doesn’t one day become a subdivision.
Now I see the city recently purchased the 51-acre Verso Paper Mill site and the 167-acre Verso landfill site for considerably more money than they received for their golf course. The paper-mill site is adjacent to a very busy railroad track so I fail to see why that would be a very desirable property. I would also wonder what the costs associated with developing a landfill site are going to be. Why these two properties are more desirable than a golf course located in the peaceful center of Sartell gives me cause to wonder.
