Letter: Granite Links lease is much more than an extension
Retired attorney Jocelyn Sedney says the newly proposed lease is a bad deal for the city
AJQ's blog is a place for members to express opinions and ideas and should not be considered official statements from the group. This post was written by Jocelyn Sedney, a retired attorney and Quincy resident.
Don’t be fooled! Quarry Hills Associates wants much more than a 50-year extension tacked to its existing lease to run the Granite Links Golf Club on city land.
As we all know, the devil is in the details. Some city councilors praised the plan before they even had a copy of the new lease. That was provided by the City the day after the glossy presentation by Quarry Hills that failed to include a single word about money to be paid to the City.
The new lease releases Quarry Hills from its obligation in the current lease, which runs for another 20 years, to provide the city with a recreational complex. It also adds language that loads the Quarry Hills Advisory Committee required by the current lease – and not fulfilled – with Quarry Hills representatives so that they can advise themselves.
But the most appalling change is that Mayor Koch carves out 12 acres of our open space and offers Quarry Hills the option to purchase it. And make no doubt, they will exercise the option. They unveiled schematics of the entire buildout – hotel, condominiums, huge parking areas, enhanced amenities, etc. WHY WOULD WE WANT TO DO THIS?
The formula for payment to the City is not only worse than that in the current lease but also worse than in the company’s earlier request for a 99-year lease extension – an unpopular plan that it revoked months after the mayor proposed it.
In the latest lease proposal, Quarry Hills will pay the city 10% gross revenues minus all expenses customarily related to operating, maintaining and financing the clubhouse, function rooms, and any other services such as the wedding tent. That is even more generous to Quarry Hills than the current lease, which allows some of these deductions but not maintenance or financing costs. These deductions are why Quincy gets so little of the club’s gross profits. Why would the mayor propose a new lease that stacks the deck even more in the club’s favor?
We need a new lease negotiated by Quincy and in the best interest of Quincy. This is not it.
—Jocelyn Sedney, Quincy