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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGolf Board - Minutes - 03/19/1997CITY OF FORT COLLINS CULTURAL, LIBRARY, AND RECREATIONAL SERVICES GOLF BOARD CITY COUNCIL LIAISON TO THE BOARD: Councilman Bob McCluskey, Jr. STAFF SUPPORT TO THE BOARD: Jerry P. Brown, Manager of Golf and Alyce Nierman, Golf Division Administrative Aide. BOARD CHAIRPERSON: Mindy Markley at 224-9102 (w) or 226-2700 (h) MINUTES: Regular Meeting of March 19, 1997 CALL MEETING TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. at the SouthRidge Golf Course Clubhouse by Chairperson Mindy Markley. AGENDA REVIEW: There were no changes to the printed agenda. ITEMS OF NOTE: On behalf of the Golf Board, Mindy Markley thanked Derek Cordova and Dan Bruntz for serving dinner this evening... Jerry P. Brown informed the Board that Byrd Curtis and David Shands were both out of town and would be unable to attend tonight's meeting... The terms of Byrd Curtis and Tom White will both expire this year. Both members are eligible to reapply for appointment. One additional Board position will also be available as Steve Garcia will be leaving town and will not be able to finish his term. People who are interested in applying for one of these positions should submit their application to the City Clerk's office by April 16. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: It was moved by Henry Fry, and seconded by Tom White, that the Board approve the minutes of the regular Golf Board Meeting of February 19, 1997, as presented. The motion passed (7:0). CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: Fred Frantz, President of the SouthRidge Men's Association, and Kent Bejcek expressed their thanks to all the Golf Board members for the time they have donated to the golfers of Fort Collins. At any time citizens can come forward and express their thoughts on things we don't like, and it is felt that thanks should be stated once in a while. Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 2 "FORT COLLINS FORE KIDS" UPDATE Mike Sanders reported that 1996 was the inaugural clinic and tournament and that the tradition will continue this year with added and expanded activities. After visiting with all three golf pros, the date of June 9 was selected for the clinic as this is the first Monday after the adjournment of school for the summer. The clinic for junior golfers ages 7 to 17 will be held simultaneously at all three courses at no cost. There will be two hours of instruction on the range and a briefing of etiquette and rules for course play. It is hoped that we can send these kids home with a small number of clubs and balls. We hope to follow-up with a play date some time in July. The date of August 8 has been targeted for the Fort Collins Fore Kids Tournament. The goal for the tournament is to get a full field with an attractive entry fee. The money from the tournament will be used to acquire, refurbish and recycle clubs for kids. At this time we are looking for sponsors and helpers for these three events. Mindy Markley asked if dates should be scheduled for resizing and regripping the clubs? Henry Fry asked how long this project would take? Mike stated that to date 600-700 golf clubs have been donated at the different courses that will be resized. Mindy suggested scheduling an evening when this could be done. Different days were discussed and Mike suggested we should visit with all three pros to find what dates work best for them. Mike Enright suggested each pro take around 250 clubs and then recruit assistance from the local course golfers. Mindy suggested that at the next meetings of the men's and women's associations, we ask for club donations. Mike then thanked everybody for their suggestions and ideas and asked that everyone sign up for the tournament. Mindy thanked Mike for a job well done and asked that he keep the Board informed and involved in this program. A. UPCOMING GOLF PROFESSIONAL RFP This is the fifth year of the contract with Golf Professional Derek Cordova and his contract expires at the end of 1997. City Code requires that this contract be opened for bid, and this process will be very similar to the recent RFPs for Collindale and City Park Nine golf pros. Extensions to the agreement can be negotiated between the City and the contractor. The timing for SouthRidge is that the RFP will start in September; there will be one month that the bids will be accepted; and some time in November the golf professional contract will be awarded. Jerry stated that even though Derek Cordova has done a fantastic job, the City is still required to go through the RFP process. The review committee will consist of two representatives from the Golf Board, one staff person from the Golf Division, one staff member from the Purchasing Division, and one or two citizen members who will be determined at a later date when the Board begins discussion of the RFP process in August. As previously decided, the City staff representative will be Doug Evans from Collindale Golf Course. The specifications that are sent out in the RFP packages are approved by the Golf Board, and there are some checks and Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 3 balances with Board involvement. Derek Cordova requested at this time to take a moment to comment on the issues he believes to be important in the upcoming RFP process. Everyone who works at SouthRidge is very proud of the facility and the service they offer to the customers. Derek added that he could not provide this service without a terrific staff and they were then introduced to the Board. In addition, Derek introduced Dan Bruntz who is his partner/manager in the food and beverage operations at the clubhouse. The goal of the staff at SouthRidge is to be the best representatives on a daily green fee course in the State of Colorado. Derek said the door is always open and any concerns should be brought to us immediately; in addition to letting us know when you have good comments. Derek then introduced the SouthRidge Superintendent, Randy Bonneville, who does an excellent job keeping the course so well maintained. Jerry echoed Derek's statements and added that Randy and his crew do a tremendous job and we couldn't ask for a better group of people. Jerry asked the Board for any questions they may have regarding the golf professional RFP process? Mindy requested that between now and the beginning of the RFP package review that Jim Greer and Dale Smigelsky give us their input. B. UPCOMING RESTAURANT/SNACK BAR RFP AND LIQUOR LICENSE ISSUE Jerry stated this is a little more complicated than the last issue. The liquor licenses are under the name "Sand Trap" dba/ "MacKenzie's Pub and Grill" and is owned by Derek Cordova and Dan Bruntz. We plan to run the golf professional RFP first, and will start the RFP for the restaurant/snack bar one month later and award the contract in December. The RFP process makeup is the same as the golf professional. The citizen representative to the selection committee is Fred Frantz. Dan and Derek are eligible to submit an application. The liquor license is the area where problems may arise. Bucain Corporation originally received two liquor licenses. One license was for the bar and was a full alcohol license for the sale of liquor in the bar only and drinks could not be taken on the course. The second license is for the sale of 3.2 beer that can be purchased only on the course. When SouthRidge Greens Boulevard was extended, it went all the way through the course. This extension separated holes two through seven and hole eleven from the rest of the course, and by law the course has to be contiguous for liquor to be allowed on the full course. We are technically violating the letter of the law, except for the fact that the authorities recognize grand fathering. The City of Fort Collins currently does not have an Optional Premises license available, so we would have to go through the process of City Council approval to get this type of license added. This full process is very long, due to the required holding of public hearings and then multiple readings by Council before final approval. Prior to this being considered by City Council for approval, this would first have to receive approval from the Liquor Licensing Board. If there is a controversy or if the Licensing Board or City Council sees a problem with this license, it could lengthen the process more. Once this is approved by City Council we have to then transfer the existing SouthRidge licenses to an Optional Premises License and this can be done Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 4 with the current license holders or we can wait until the new vendor contract is in force; so whoever is awarded the bid will have to request a license transfer from the Liquor Licensing Board. The full process is expensive and time consuming. Jerry shared this information tonight to let everyone know all the steps that we will be taking. Dan Bruntz introduced himself and gave a little background, stating that he has grown up in the restaurant business and his family owns four restaurants. He started at SouthRidge as the assistant golf professional and recently has been working with one-year contract extensions since the liquor license issue came up. They have been continuing with new decorating and adding new kitchen equipment. This is the first year that a profit will be shown and they are ready for the upcoming RFP process. Dan further noted that the Bunker House has been painted and upgraded from basically a hot dog stand to full snack bar services. Dan concluded that the full crew has put a lot of heart and energy into upgrading the facilities and would hate to see their efforts passed on to someone else. Mindy noted for the citizens present tonight that the bid for the SouthRidge Golf Professional and for the SouthRidge Snack Bar and Restaurant Concession is mandatory. As a Board we have tried to get a renewal clause included in the bid package that states if the current contractor is doing a satisfactory job/service, that the contract could be extended. It is hard to imagine, unless you own your own business, what it feels like to see everything bid, and awarded to someone else. Jerry added that the SouthRidge contracts are the last two under the old format. Also, as we are municipal, we have a public and open process. C. PROPOSED LAND ACQUISITION/REDESIGN Mindy stated this is a basic issue and one thing the Board has determined that for safety reasons there needs to be a redesign of holes 17 and 18 at SouthRidge. The Board has tried to be creative in different ways to acquire land east of the golf course. As a Board, we have approached Natural Resources and asked that they consider acquiring the land and then working out an arrangement with the Golf Fund where we could use this land to redesign the course. Jerry added that he will ask Mindy Markley and Mike Sanders to be present when the Natural Resources Board discusses our requests. Fred Frantz asked about the recent process of City Council setting up a list of projects that should receive funding for capital expenditures? Mindy responded that the Golf Fund did not receive a priority ranking in this process, and it was felt other areas need more assistance. Mindy further stated that we are hindered a lot as we are very good at being self supporting. The only funds received from the City's General budget are matching funds ($200,000 annually) for the SouthRidge debt payment, and $46,000 toward paying for capital projects based on the community value of golf. Fred Frantz added that he is personally relieved that there is not as much SouthRidge bashing recently with comments such as "We will certainly never do that again." Jerry reported that the City staff is currently preparing budgets for 1998 and 1999. During this process of projecting expenses through the year 2002, he noted that 2002 is the last year of the Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 5 SouthRidge debt payments. Mindy also reminded the Board and stated for citizens present tonight that the Board is also exploring the possibility of lease/purchase arrangements with private businesses for capital expenditures. During the recent activity with City Council looking at capital expenditures from all City departments, they were faced with requests for over $900 million and whittled that list down to a $124 million price tag. UNREPAIRED BALL MARKS ON GREENS ISSUE Mindy wondered what the Board could actually do on this issue? During the last couple of months we have held staff meetings with golf pros and course superintendents the same day as the Board meeting. This topic was brought up today at the staff meeting and it was asked what is being done at this time regarding unrepaired ball marks? Staff replied that the education process is still number one. Signs are placed, there are information sheets passed out to golfers, and the pros and staff make announcements over the intercom to replace divots, repair ball marks, keep up with the group in front of you, etc. Further, when the job description was written up for course monitors, it was included they need to contact golfers who are not repairing their ball marks and divots. This repair practice needs to be going on all year around. Randy Bonneville commented that he doesn't have the answer, but wanted to thank Fred Frantz and SouthRidge Men's Association for their donation of $1,500, and another $500 donation tonight for use in marking the sprinkler heads and giving away divot repair tools. Henry Fry stated there is a little fold out brochure from the USGA that explains the correct way to repair ball marks that could be distributed. Randy added that we will be placing flyers on bulletin boards with repair information. These collectively may not be the answers, but we will try everything to educate golfers. It was suggested that we could offer juniors the chance to earn free golf by repairing ball marks and divots. Tom DeGrand thought this would be a good idea and it is something that could be incorporated into the special users policy. Tom White suggested there may be too much emphasis placed on junior golfers. With the explosion of golf popularity we need to also educate the older golfers on course etiquette. Jerry informed the Board that Collindale has been investigating the possibility of placing stickers on the golf cars stating rules regarding repairing marks, divots, etc. and if this works it may be taken to our other courses. Mike Enright stated his observation that the worst ball mark problem is by the senior golfer who doesn't think they have made a ball mark. We need to try to get players to repair two marks for the one they have made. STATUS REPORT ON SPECIAL PRIVILEGES Jerry stated that the Golf Board has been discussing the topics of discounted fees or guaranteed tee times on golf courses for the past few months. At the last Board meeting, it was suggested that a questionnaire be developed which would ask for input from the various special users groups. Since that time, Jerry decided not to pursue the questionnaire, but to meet with the various groups and discuss these issues directly. To date Jerry has met with all but the Collindale Women's Association Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 6 and City Park Nine Thursday Men's group. He plans to meet with them soon and will bring back a report to the Board at the April meeting. Jerry has also compiled information from other area courses and found that the newer courses do not offer the same privileges that are allowed at the older established courses. Each course had expressed concerns on revenue and play equity, and there are ladies days everywhere you go. In reference to the group present at the February Board meeting stating they received free golf, it was found that nobody but the City of Fort Collins was letting this group play for free. However, from their perspective they were correct as they were not paying, but the host team or someone else was paying for them. Jerry requested that he would like to separate discussions on this topic into three different parts; 1) league play and how this can be implemented at all three courses; 2) men's and women's groups; and 3) Colorado State University and Poudre School District. Referencing men's and women's associations, it will probably get down to philosophy, and he requested that the Golf Board take the lead on this issue. Revenue and equity are both high ranking considerations in this issue. School teams usage will also be a philosophical discussion. There are more options available for schools today for a choice of courses to play than when our existing policies were adopted. Frank Blanco asked if financial figures were available on the men's clubs? Jerry stated that there are a lot of variables that can be considered, and there could be anywhere from a $2,000 to a $35,000 differential. The questions we need to ask ourselves are "Can we do that?" and "Do we want to do that?" • Mindy stated that the recent staff meetings held on the same day as the Board meeting have garnered positive comments. This is a great opportunity to discuss with staff what they see as day-to-day issues. Mindy would like to have other Board members attend these staff meetings with her as this helps meet the needs of staff and enables us to bring information back to the Board. Volunteers from the Board were requested and both Frank Blanco and Tom DeGrand expressed an interest in attending future staff meetings. • Henry Fry stated that at a recent meeting of the Collindale Men's Association an effort was made to educate the membership to the privileges and dollar savings of golf at our municipal courses. The financial condition of the Golf Fund for at least the next five years was discussed. After lengthy discussion, the consensus of opinion was "why can't we institute a surcharge with the idea in mind that the money collected would be strictly earmarked for golf course capital improvements?" It was further felt that one round would be indicated when a golfer signed in on the sheet and there would be a fee of $1.00, and this fee would be collected for ALL rounds played. The Board and staff are always trying to keep a lid on prices, but in turn we then seem to be searching around trying to get additional funds for needed projects. It was further believed that the sooner we could start collecting this $1.00 fee the sooner we could begin addressing some of our capital projects concerns. Jerry stated that we could implement a surcharge at any time Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 7 for green fee players, but pass holders have essentially entered into a contract and we could not start charging them until the contract ends on February 28, 1998. Mike Sanders suggested that we could make a strong plea to pass holders to voluntarily pitch in $1.00 toward this surcharge. Mike Enright added that in his conversations with other golfers, one common complaint is their belief that the City would take that money and it would never be seen again. It was then commented that we should hit this problem head on and start raising money for needed capital improvements at the golf courses. Jerry noted that the good news is that even if we raised our fees by $1.00 we would still be lower than other courses in the area. Mindy added another good side is that our golfing public is getting involved. Recently the education process has been great and now we need to let golfers know that money that we do get goes to the golfers and course needs, it does not go into general City revenue. As decided during the discussion last year on fees and charges, the 1998 annual pass fees will be raised by seven percent (7%) and green fees would remain the same. Jerry believes that we should bring closure to the special privilege users issue first before we go to golfers with a surcharge for capital projects. Henry commented that if the soonest we can charge all players is January 1998, to start collecting funds for capital improvements, we need to be ready to roll by the beginning of the year. The need is great to begin doing something or conditions on our courses will begin disintegrating. Jerry added that we also have two irrigation systems that are coming up for repair, and we will probably have to be addressing these irrigation problems before the Collindale Clubhouse issue. Fred Frantz asked how City Council would respond to the capital expenditure needs if something broke? Jerry stated that this comes from Golf Fund revenue. Fred Frantz also observed that when Mindy commented on the education of golfers and that we are paying for these projects, when there is a breakdown, funds for repair are not coming from general City funds, and the Golf Fund currently has no additional funds for these needed repairs. Discussions with associations should include information that the Golf Fund is self-sufficient. Fred Frantz then asked about the impact the punch card has had on revenue, and are the punch cards really working? Mindy thinks this program has gone quite well. Jerry added that the best deal is here at SouthRidge. The benefit of punch cards is the Golf Fund gets the money up front and some people do not use all of their punches. Punch card users are receiving about a 10% discount and annual pass users receive on an average of almost a 50% discount. We have discussed the use of punch cards at SouthRidge and there may be too much of a discount allowed at SouthRidge. Henry stated his belief that as membership on City Council changes, we need to be out lobbying about the needs of the golf courses just like the ice rink users. Fred Frantz added that our representatives hear from little segments of the population and develop an agenda. We have to be sure they hear both sides of the issue. Mindy stated that we are headed in that direction. In the past we haven't tried to understand each other's sides, and very few golfers truly understood that they are fully paying for the support of the golf system. Jerry concluded by stating the next step would be in June with the beginning of discussions on the fee structure. After public Golf Board Minutes March 19, 1997 Page 8 hearings in July and August, the Board would approve their fee recommendations in September and present to City Council in October. The goal would be implementation of the fees in January, 1998. Frank Blanco asked if there have been any projections made on the money that would raised by changing special privileges? Jerry stated that we need to make a lot of assumptions, and we may be able to give ranges but not an exact dollar amount. The easiest way would be to eliminate all special privileges, annual passes, etc. and charge everyone a flat rate for 9 or 18 hole rounds. Jerry distributed a one -page analysis on annual passes which had been prepared for Coloradoan News Reporter Sean Duff and it was felt that Board members would be interested in seeing this information. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn the Golf Board meeting was made by Mike Sanders and seconded by Henry Fry. The motion was approved (7:0) and the Golf Board meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Alyce Nierman, Administrative Aide I Golf Division Meetine Attendance Board Members S Mindy Markley Jerry P. Brown Frank Blanco Mike Powers Tom DeGrand Randy Bonneville Henry Fry Derek Cordova Steve Garcia Dan Bruntz Mike Sanders Michael Enright Tom White Jim Greer Dale Smigelsky Alyce Nierman Guests Kent Bejcek Rob Dahl Tara Donnelly Skip Fore Fred Frantz Ric Johnson Jenny Meadows Mark Mekelburg Stacey Mekelburg James Pauck Sarah Watts Allison Welpton