ACR lands the Great White Shark

Benny Profane wrote

Well, look what I found. I'll just leave it here. Hmmmm........Naples, Fl, Scottsdale, Az, or ....... Tupper.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-real-estate-golf-ups-its-game-1432820897

Benny, One of the stranger aspects of Normans involvement in this is that the Town owned Golf course has not even been mentioned. But in the local paper yesterday they reported that there was a closed door meeting at the ACR office with Norman and associates along with the Village Mayor, Town Supervisor and Betty Little(NYS congress).
The town may or may not be able to sell the course according to some reports of deed restrictions on the land which was given to the Town by the same entity that owns the land ACR is proposing to buy for the bulk of the development.

It seems that most of Normans successful projects are centered around Golf and mostly in the South/Southeast. It looks like he was a partner in a failed development in Idaho called Teton Rim Golf Club that never got off the ground.

Coach, Check out the phasing for the ACR on the APAs website, the ski hill is way down the road and according to Lawson/Foxman and is contingent upon sales of Great Camp lots to fund part of it. Time will tell but a lot of the locals are still in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp on this whole thing.  

But if Normans in for real, Great! Obviously with his wealth there will be no need for Tax breaks, PILOTs or any other public money to subsidize the project.

Pretty smart to be pushing golf in a place that has an effective playing season of maybe five months. Wearing insect repellent for a lot of it.
Maybe he doesn't have money problems. Maybe he has an IQ problem.

Apparently Norman's visit to Tupper Lake on Tuesday was to assist the developers in attempting to squeeze out some taxpayer cash for the project.  Still no mention of exactly what Norman's involvement would be, either as an investor in the project or as a buyer of a lot.  Here's the full article from today's Adirondack Daily Enterprise.  

Greg Norman, Empire State Development chief visit Tupper to talk state aid for ACR

TUPPER LAKE - A Great White Shark was spotted again on Park Street Tuesday.

Mayor Paul Maroun told the Enterprise that pro golf great Greg Norman, along with his son Greg Jr. and three members of his staff, flew into Tupper Lake Tuesday and met with Empire State Development Corporation President and CEO Howard Zemsky, state Sen. Betty Little, Adirondack Club and Resort lead developer Michael Foxman, ACR developer Tom Lawson, his wife Susan Lawson, Jim LaValley of LaValley Real Estate, town Supervisor Patti Littlefield and Maroun.

They discussed state aid options for the ACR.

The visit came 12 days after Tom Lawson announced at a town meeting, "Greg Norman is coming in at the Adirondack Club with the entire club. He's actually building a home here. He and his wife picked out a lot, and we're hoping to start construction on a home as quickly as we can."

At that May 14 meeting, Lawson promised further details about the arrangement would be forthcoming. Calls the Enterprise placed to Foxman and Lawson Wednesday were not immediately returned.

Norman, an Australian golf legend known as "the Great White Shark" who also visited Tupper Lake in April, is the chairman and CEO of Great White Shark Enterprises, a multi-national corporation made up of several companies and divisions, including Greg Norman Golf Course Design and the Greg Norman Collection, a clothing line that features golf-inspired apparel.

Maroun said the ACR's public funding options could include the state's annual Regional Economic Development Council awards or a new competition in which three New York regions would each win $500 million for their business growth proposals.

Zemsky had "never really seen the plan, the overall picture of what (the ACR developers) are trying to do up there," Maroun told the Enterprise. "We talked about water, which I've been talking about, both potable and non-potable. Sewer, that's another amenity at the mountain itself."

This year's state budget contains about $800 million for water and sewer infrastructure projects. That money comes from a $5 billion settlement with banks.

"They also talked about the (town-owned) golf course and different possibilities and where we think we can get pools of money," Maroun said. "I mentioned to him that this has been a priority project on North Country Regional Economic Development Council for at least three years that I know of, and that we'd want to put this in the plan for the (governor's) half a billion dollars or, if not, in the reverse, go after the extra monies that are going to be allocated if you don't win.

"The meeting today sort of set the tone," Maroun added. "(Zemsky) understands that Norman is involved regionally.

"To extend water, village water, treatable water, is going to take pumps; it's going to take bigger lines. We also talked about upgrading the road."

Maroun said he has been speaking with representatives of the Development Authority of the North Country and hopes to utilize its expertise.

"I'm trying to bring DANC into it," he said. "They know how to do it. They did it for Fort Drum, that whole community, and they can do it for us, but there is a price attached to it, so we're going to get together in the next few days.

"DANC has agreed to do the work for us. It's outside their region - they're St. Lawrence, Lewis and Jefferson (counties) - but they have done some things for us. When you go outside their region, they have to charge for it."

Maroun said the group took Norman to the Wild Center nature museum.

"We took him up to the Wild Walk," he said. "He was very impressed with it because they've put a lot of money in there already.

"I think he was impressed with Tupper Lake."

Maroun said Norman was down to earth.

"He was nice," he said. "He was a great guy. I called him 'Mr. Norman,' and he said, 'I go by Greg.'

"He was here. We met him. He flew in; he flew out. Zemsky flew in, flew out. We showed him around, and they're interested, but we have a little more work to do yet."

Fantastic! Of all the places one could think of to spend badly needed infrastructure dollars, that sounds like the perfect place! And, who would benefit? The 1% million dollar homeowners! Brilliant. There's probably ten state politicians jockeying for the bribery cash as I type.

And, I really really doubt Greg and his wife are "building" a home there. Lawson will start construction on a few, and one will be known as "Greg's house" as the salesman walk by with the poor schmucks who believe that.

Kinda funny how nobody really wants to put their own actual money into the project isn't it?  Not even the $300 million net worth guy.

Adk Jeff wrote

Kinda funny how nobody really wants to put their own actual money into the project isn't it?  Not even the $300 million net worth guy.

FTW

Adk Jeff wrote

Kinda funny how nobody really wants to put their own actual money into the project isn't it?  Not even the $300 million net worth guy.

This is the key.

There is zero interest in Tupper from professionals who fund in RE developments. That is all you need to know.

Adk Jeff wrote

Kinda funny how nobody really wants to put their own actual money into the project isn't it?  Not even the $300 million net worth guy.

I'd bet that a lot of other privately run ski areas in the state would like to get handed free money for infrastructure too, including the former owners of Big Tupper.

Ugh. I still just want to win the $233 million Mega millions tomorrow, buy the mountain and just run it as a ski area. Fuck this real estate/great camp/marina/whatever fantasy.

Whenever I see any news story on ACR or Front Street, I immediately look for dollar figures and am always disappointed to see that nobody ever talks about putting any real money into anything.

Must be nice to have so much money that people pay you to travel to places in the off chance that you might throw a million or two 10 years down the line (but probably not)

Sorry to maybe steer this to politics, which I don't want, but, a bell went off as I thought of the Clintons. They have made an obscene amount of money just, you know, showing up and schmoozing since he is an ex pres. Maybe Greg just, you know, showed up last week. There is value in that. My ex brother in law worked as the marketing VP for NetJets, and their first market push was successful golf pros on tour, regular and senior, mostly senior. He told me stories of how the company would hire a pro to do a dog and pony show for a very special foursome of corporate bigwigs on the Monday before a tour stop. It is very lucrative for the players. Some make a major (easy and assured) portion of their annual take on these days. Like, at the time, 20,000 for a meh senior, to 60,000 for Trevino (amazing entertainer, I was told. Would play the entire course with one club, a two iron), to, well, if the big guys are bored, a whole lot more. Some players make millions in Dubai and the Far East in the off season, just, showing up. Appearance money. Like, Tiger and Mickleson. The challenge is to know when to not get greedy and rest, instead.

I would love to be so cool somebody would pay me a million bucks just to show up.

Benny Profane wrote

I would love to be so cool somebody would pay me a million bucks just to show up.

They might pay you a mil not to.

Bloomberg article at least mentions some funding sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-28/greg-norman-partners-with-new-york-s-adirondack-club-resort

Really, the Greg Norman thing is probably just a flashy name to get some of that settlement money that Cuomo is making towns compete over (for Cuomo's own egomaniacal reasons).

Still seems like the ski area is the last item on everyone's list when I wish it was the first.

Benny Profane wrote

I would love to be so cool somebody would pay me a million bucks just to show up.

When they start a seniors pro pot smokers tour with tour stops in Colorado and Washington State Benny will be rolling in the dough.

First off getting a Bloomberg piece is priceless PR for ARC

The source you will note is Norman himself not Lawson.  This idea of
Norman renovating that classic Ross course is brilliant.  That is something that would totally set the whole project apart.  The town would have to be involved in turnng the course over to Norman and his new partners.  Today I'd guess it maybe breaks even for the town but with the right investment and management it a huge draw.

Coach Z wrote

Benny Profane wrote

I would love to be so cool somebody would pay me a million bucks just to show up.

When they start a seniors pro pot smokers tour with tour stops in Colorado and Washington State Benny will be rolling in the dough.

And the women.

mattchuck2 wrote

Bloomberg article at least mentions some funding sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-28/greg-norman-partners-with-new-york-s-adirondack-club-resort

Really, the Greg Norman thing is probably just a flashy name to get some of that settlement money that Cuomo is making towns compete over (for Cuomo's own egomaniacal reasons).

Still seems like the ski area is the last item on everyone's list when I wish it was the first.

The picture accompanying that article is interesting.

First, that's five men, and, yes, I'm including you, Mr. Shark, that need to do some sit-ups. Well,maybe the young man in back is just dressed poorly.

Second, they sure don't look like they climbed up to that spectacular point for the photo op. As a matter of fact, I get the impression that the photographer took that pic from the passenger window of the luxury SUV that carried them all there.
I mean, check the shoes.
So, that beautiful spot is already desecrated with a road?

And third, the body language is tense and awkward. Lawson and Norman are about ten feet apart and not exactly smiling at each other or the world. Lawson looks like a beat down old dog, as a matter of fact. Norman looks like he wants to spit at Lawson.

Maybe they both rode up and down to the photo op in separate luxury SUVs?

ROFL Benny.

I think that spot might be on the ski hill which is accessible by Escalade.

Well this article does paint a rosy picture, we will see.
Nothing happens in the North Country on schedule.

PeeTex wrote

 
Nothing happens in the North Country

FIFY

Sadly, this smells of government waste made on promises of greatness to come.    

Are there that many golfers who would buy second homes in the North simply to play on a Greg Norman course.    Maybe there are guys who may want to do it, but their wives chime in after the first black fly bite---"honey, can we build our 3rd home on the Greg Norman course down in FL.? "   We can just come visit up here, there are lots of rentals.    


These are dreams.....but then many of men (and women) have made millions following their dream.