Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1920 — NOW TALKING ’COUNTRY CLUB’ [ARTICLE]

NOW TALKING ’COUNTRY CLUB’

Meeting Held Last Evening to Fur ther Discuss the Matter. The matter of organizing a country club association in Rensselaer has bee if agitating the minds of some of our idle rich of late, and a meeting was held at the Van Rensselaer club rooms last evening to discuss the matter with the club members and others whom it was thought might favor the proposition. The proposition is quite a big one to swing and whether or not enough wealthy men can be induced to come across with sufficiently large sums to put the thing over is the question. Also can enough members be secured at the necessarily very high annual dues to keep up the maintenance? It is conceded that approximately 80 acres of land, located within a mile or two of the city must be secured if golf links, etc., are put in. This land would probably cost from $16,000 to $20,000; an appropriate clubhouse would cost $26,000 at least, exclusive of furnishings; golf links would cost a few thousand dollars more; caretaker and other necessary employes and maintenance from $7,500 to SIO,OOO per year, etc. While the first cost, including buildings, furnishings, golf links, etc., would probably aggregate $75,000 to SIOO,OOO and the annual upkeep would be in the neighborhood of SIO,OOO, friends of the proposition think they can get quite a number of wealthy citizens to put in SI,OOO or better each, and if a reasonable number of the ! large contributions is secured there will be no trouble about getting a goodly number of smaller amounts sufficient to put the proposition over, they think.