Augusta Commissioner Catherine McKnight issued a one-word statement defending her vote to sell West Vineland Park to the Augusta National Golf Club.
“Inevitable” was McKnight’s response.
It is true that when the Augusta National decides it wants to extend the footprint of the club, they are willing to pay far over the market value, and they did pay top dollar, in this case, for a tiny little piece of property.
It is also true that growth for the Augusta National is overwhelmingly good for the wider community, and the group in charge of the club show their generosity every year with the millions of dollars that fund the Community Foundation of the CSRA.
Furthermore, Augusta National’s track record is that of bulldozing neon signs and building what is essentially a giant park in the heart of the city; therefore, it is highly unlikely that the bulldozers will be taking down the monkey bars at West Vineland Park anytime soon.
Our problem is not with the fact that Augusta National wanted a piece of property and were willing to ladle out the money to buy it; our problem is the continued lack of transparency whenever the Augusta Land Bank gets involved in land transactions.
It is highly unlikely that the neighborhood association could outbid the Augusta National, so why was this deal made in secret? Both the city of Augusta and the Augusta National have a responsibility to the residents of the neighborhood to keep them informed about any changes made to their neighborhood.
The West Vineland sale is yet another example of why Augusta does not need a land bank.
No one had to wine and dine the Augusta National and woo them into purchasing the property, so it is absolutely ridiculous that the Augusta Commission would vote to hand the property over to the Augusta Land Bank where the proceeds of the sale do not go back into the city’s coffers, but goes toward funding the director’s, Shawn Edwards, lavish partying.
The sale of West Vineland Park should be the final nail in the coffin. It is time for the city to withdraw its money from the Augusta Land Bank and close the account for good.
