To The Editor:
In a recent article, the Dillon Herald printed that Councilman Johnny Eller asked if the hospitality fund had been transferred to cover the debt for the golf course. His quote “sucking the hospitality fund dry” is clearly the truth of the matter. This town is too small to be supporting a golf course. Golf courses are entertainment venues and not vital services from the town. Our problems reach deeper than entertainment.
Mayor Davis stated he is committed to the golf course for 5 years. Has he taken a walk along Main Street and admired the beautiful buildings? When Scott Pelley from CBS visited Dillon, he stated it was some of the worst blight he had ever seen. The blocked up windows on the second stories of plywood, the “lovely” awnings worn out from years of weather abuse, doorways that have seen better days and customers, roofs falling off and rotting from lack of repair, roads in the neighborhoods are in an awful shape with rocks and sand. Where is the enforcement of codes  or lack of codes? I could go on and on about it, but where is Mayor Davis’ mind, on the golf course?
This 5-year plan, to maintain an entertainment venue, is over the top for a poor town. He is as Nero fiddling as Rome burned. The ashes of Dillon are all around. Councilman Wallace is quoted as saying,  “We are in the business of giving a good life.” What! Say that again? When did government’s job become giving a good life? Governing for the 1 percent and betterment of the few. Has the councilmen lived in an ivory tower so long and cannot see the forest for the trees? Dillon is as a man in the last hours of life, and he wants to give support so he can play golf. If it were not so tragic, I could laugh. But it hurts too much. A good question to ask first is how many in Dillon County even own golf clubs?
The Dillon Herald quoted Councilman Wallace as stating, “it will be the first nail in the coffin of this town.” I could hardly believe my eyes. This statement goes a long way in proving how these councilmen think. Obviously they have no idea how to govern, or where the real problems exist. We are NOT “ALIVE on 95”; the town is in the last gasps of breath. No growing businesses, no industry, jobs of all sorts in short supply, roads in disrepair, our downtown is falling down. You want us to believe a golf course, sucking the last bit of life support from us, should be our focus. It is not nice enough to even draw people here to play. A golf course is an entertainment venue, not something a small town should be invested in.
Our tax base is not the private slush fund for the few. A dying town with a “select group” ruling the rest and not governing. We need new ideas, new people looking out for all the people. Supporting a 5-year plan is not the answer here. There is no denying they are out of touch. We need change, change in direction, ideas, and leadership. If a golf course is the right course for the town, just run on that 5-year plan for re-election.
Councilman Eller called for more funds to be spent on parks. Our parks are broken down and old. Harmon Park is used by more people than the Wellness Center, but few dollars are spent there. Everyday many walk there for exercise, cook outs, singing groups, Boy Scouts, family outings, church gatherings, and much more. There is no place for shade or protection from weather. On occasion I have witnessed families bringing their own tent screens for a family reunion or cookout. Worn out swing set, nasty sandy places to park, and overall in need of a rework. I believe the golf fee is $15, to some it is nothing, but to most in this county with a high unemployment rate, and lower income, they are not playing golf when entertainment dollars are few.
Let me walk you through the demographics of this town and county. As we walk out of the courthouse, we see a lady with her children pulling a red wagon with their groceries. They don’t own an automobile so they walk. I don’t see a golf bag in her wagon. Follow me a little further down the road, sirs, here we are at a couples’ new mobile home; they have small children as well. There is his truck with a welder in the back; he works for himself. But, I don’t see Callaway irons or a golf bag here either. Please travel with me just one more mile, here we come across an elderly retired couple. Fixed income here, they take care of each other and not much is left over when they reach the end of the month. He has never owned a set of clubs. Our Dillon Herald of July 1 stated in an article that 1/3 of the children in Dillon County go to bed hungry. This is the real demographic here, Mayor and Councilmen. The next time you place a golf ball on its tee, remember those faces.
Remember how Cracker Barrel was treated? They did not get what they wanted. It cost too much we were told, but we have no problem forking over hundreds of thousands for a golf course that benefits maybe 50 people. Now you want us to believe an entertainment venue is the key to bringing some life to this area. We have a limited tax base in a county that is not growing in income or population. There is no justification for a poor small township taking on a golf course. It will not bring businesses here nor will it cause higher income families to move here or be the deciding factor. It cannot be argued to any justification that the council should have invested in a “party” golf course. Drop the 5-year plan on this fiasco, a debacle of unbelievable proportions.
Gene Walters
1017 Squires Point Lane
Dillon, SC 29536