Carbondale Golf District?

"The Carbondale Park District is in need of a few things, such as a budget, a director and a plan for the Hickory Lodge," reports Nicole Sack -- not to mention an over-30 men's and women's basketball league, says this blog.

Anyway, tonight at 6 p.m. there's a Board meeting at City Hall.

It should be interesting. At the last board meeting, on July 12, writes Sack:

"members were unable to bring the budget back for discussion due to perceived problems with the planning documents presented by the Hickory Ridge Golf Course.

Michael Heck, treasurer, had asked all departments in the district to compile planning documents. However, he said the golf course's budget precursors were incomplete because it did not have measurable goals.

"My big concern is wrapped around the golf course, which composes 60 percent of the budget," Heck said. "When it doesn't meet projections, money needs to come out of the general fund. It bothers me because we're already starting in the hole."

Park board member Eden Thorne was not pleased with golf course stalemating the movement of the rest of the programs, especially when the other programs completed planning documents to the set expectations.

"The other 40 percent of the district deserves as much attention as the golf course," Thorne said. "I have a real hard time cutting into the recreation division and the day cares when they have done extensive review. They are looking at FY 2009 as if it were today. We're trying to make the golf course successful at the expense of the other programs. My goodness, we're the Carbondale Park District, not the Carbondale Golf District."

A budget must be approved by Sept. 30, or there may be no over-30 men's and women's basketball this winter, or Fall golf scramble