Palm Springs Country Club Residents Fed Up With Abandoned Greens
Its greens have played host to presidents, movie stars and even the Rat Pack at one time, but today it’s a playground for wild animals and weeds.
Since 2007, the Palm Springs Country Club Golf Course has been in foreclosure. It sits northeast of Farrell and Racquet Club, and neighbors say what was once a luxury detail to their neighborhood is now an eyesore.
?I’m angry,? said one person. ?I’m not mad, I’m angry.?
The property owner. Lynn Burnett, died while the property was already in foreclosure. He owed millions of dollars in debt.
His lender Point Center took over the property, and hasn’t touched it since.
Residents like Donna Buckinger aren’t happy with the negotiations between the City of Palm Springs and Point Center out of Orange County.
?They were suppose to maintain it because that’s what the city codes says,? she said. ?They have never maintained this property.?
Reports show the city fined Point Center $1,000 per violation, but that hasn’t helped.
Palm Springs has already spent more than $200,000 of taxpayers? money in legal fees and enforcement. So far, no results.
Larry Cary from Chicago owns two condos inside the country club.
?He was losing money,? Carey said. ?You can’t ask anyone who’s losing money to continue to lose money, I’m realistic.?
The gated country club portion is in great shape and well maintained. That’s because it has a different owner.
The only upkeep, neighbors said, is when someone comes in and cuts down 50-year-old trees.
?They have cut 236 trees,? one neighbor said. ?They have allowed these trees to get out of control, and die. I think that’s the most immoral thing to do.?
For now, the 1950s golf course will stay the way it is today: a thing of the past with no hope for the future.
News Channel 3 called Point Center, and tried to talk to the person in charge of the golf course. Our calls went unreturned.
The city had a meeting last month to update the residents, but they said nothing really came out of the meeting.
