Tri-Mountain Golf Course is basically a Clark County park and, excluding the pandemic year, contributed approximately $400,000 in “profits” to the county from 2019-2022.
Most Clark County parks, if not all, probably operate at a significant deficit due to maintenance costs, capital improvements, etc. What other parks in the county generate that level of profitability? In fact, The Columbian article (“Clark County’s deal with Cowlitz tribe requires Tri-Mountain Golf Course to stay a public course after sale,” Nov. 20) indicates that the profits average $350,000 per year, which makes this argument all that much stronger.
Tri-Mountain averages more than 20,000 rounds of golf a year. Isn’t the enjoyment of our parks by our residents, their families and visitors to the area what we all want from the Clark County park system? Our parks enhance the livability of the county, which is essential to the long-term economic health of the region by retaining current businesses and attracting new businesses.
The Clark County Council should strongly consider maintaining Tri-Mountain Golf Course as a county “park,” and continue to reap the rewards of having a facility that is profitable in contrast with the other parks in Clark County and enhancing the quality of life that we all enjoy in Clark County.
