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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGolf Board - Minutes - 09/09/2020 Golf Board TYPE OF MEETING – (REGULAR) September 9, 2020 6:00 PM Zoom Meeting 9/9/20 – MINUTES Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER • Kathy Meyer called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM 2. ROLL CALL • Board Members Present o Michael Hardisty o Ross Liggett o Kathy Meyer o James Penland o Tom Rock • Board Members Absent o Jon Schmunk • Staff Members Present o Josh Evans o Scott Phelps o Dawn Worth 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION • No citizen participation 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES On a motion by James Penland, seconded by Kathy Meyer, the Board voted (5:0) to approve the March 11, 2020 Minutes. Amendments were sent prior to the meeting. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS • Irrigation Design Scott reviewed the design process. He mentioned that the bids for both courses are around 5.4 million. Scott said we will have to do some value engineering since this is over where we are wanting to be. He explained that we need to do some modifications to the drawings, we will be installing new technology & relining of the ponds at Southridge. Scott said we would also like to do some maintenance on the New Mercer BOARD NAME TYPE OF MEETING – (REGULAR, WORKSESSION, SPECIAL) 9/9/20 – MINUTES Page 2 Ditch; however, we may need to pull that to reduce some of the cost since we will likely have to pay for that ourselves. He mentioned that we are exploring the possibility of applying for grants to assist with the funding. Scott stated that we are around 1 million over where we would want to be bonding. He doesn’t want us to end up in the same situation we were in with our previous bonds. Mike asked what the breakdown is for the two courses. Scott said it’s around 1.6-1.7 million for City Park Nine and 3.8 million at Southridge. Mike asked what the timeline is for financing & being built. Scott stated that we are anticipating starting construction in 2022 since our last bond expires in August of 2021, with hopes in finalizing installation by late 2023. He explained that we have various options for installation. We can do a complete install in the spring and be done around June. If they have two crews available, we can do both courses simultaneously, which may reduce costs. Or we can install one course in the fall and the second in the spring. Mike mentioned that some of the homeowners have reached out to him. Scott said we will have open meetings to update the homeowners. He said most of the design is done, but we will still consider additional input. James asked if Scott thinks there will be a need to have a full front or back 9 out of service. Scott thinks we will only have a few holes at a time. Scott informed the Board that the mainlines of the course will be installed around the outside of the fairways rather than going through the middle of the course. He doesn’t anticipate having to close the entire course, however if we find that it’s necessary it will likely only be for a short period of time. Mike mentioned his concern that the bond market might not be very favorable at this time. Scott said they are still hoping to tie in the bond with other city departments, which will likely work in our favor. • New Board Members Scott’s not certain if Kathy and Jon will be required to reapply or if they will automatically be reappointed. He mentioned that Ross will need to reapply if he is interested in continuing his position on the Board. Scott stated that we currently have one vacancy to fill, due to Bob’s resignation. The City Clerk’s Office opened applications again since they are approaching Annual Recruitment. Those who had previously applied will not be required to reapply. New members will be appointed around December. Kathy stated that the Mayor mentioned the Golf Board at the last Reimaging Boards meeting. Scott explained that Council could suggest that we abolish the Golf Board or restructure to only meet as needed. He said they are also encouraging more diversity on Boards. Mike Hardisty suggested that the Board reimagine themselves. He mentioned that the Bylaws state that they can advise and make recommendations to the Community Services Director and the City Council. Kathy believes it is important for the Board to discuss such recommendations with Scott prior to submitting them to City Council. Tom mentioned his concern that there was very little interaction during COVID. Scott BOARD NAME TYPE OF MEETING – (REGULAR, WORKSESSION, SPECIAL) 9/9/20 – MINUTES Page 3 stated that things were changing so frequently. Scott reminded the Board that we were directed to only meet if there was pertinent business to discuss. He was hoping for more participation in the golf outings. He thought this would have been a good opportunity for the Board to get together. Ross stated that he finds it difficult to meet during the middle of a workday. Mike agrees that the Board should have been updated directly throughout the COVID process. Kathy mentioned that staff did a good job updating on the website & Social Media. James said he would have appreciated more information but mentioned that he could have reached out as well. Tom said he understands there were updates to the website & Social Media, he just felt staff could have done a better job updating the Board directly. Scott said he understands the Board’s frustration and staff will do a better job updating the Board outside of their meetings, as needed. • Periodic Review Scott informed the Board that City Council is reevaluating the Periodic Review process. He will update the Board when he receives more information from Elizabeth. 7. NEW BUSINESS • Season Review Scott stated that January and February weren’t great months and we weren’t able to fully open until May, however we have done very well since opening. Scott informed the Board that we didn’t feel it was in our best interest to offer The Heat of the Day special since the course were full during that time. Scott explained the reopening process due to COVID. He mentioned that we feel very fortunate since other city departments haven’t been. Scott is hoping that we now have new regular golfers since golf was one of the only sports allowed to play. The Board ended up reviewing the September rounds report during the Season Review. Ross asked why Southridge was down. Scott explained that they typically hold a lot of tournaments. Unfortunately, a lot of tournaments were canceled. Mike said he’s optimistic that golf will make up the rounds lost during COVID. Scott said we are down 3.3%, but we are optimistic as well. Scott said the change in prime time and non-prime time has been well received. Tom felt that the change would have a negative effect on league members, but it appears that very few members dropped out. Scott said we did have less pass sales and he thought this could be attributed to the uncertainty with COVID. Ross said this is consistent with what he has been seeing. Scott mentioned that the Youth on Course has been going well so far. He said there has been fewer rounds with school starting. Scott feels there is room to grow and it’s a beneficial program for us to continue. Tom mentioned that the 10 minute tee time has been very well received since it appears to help with pace of play. Scott informed the Board that we have done very little with our Marketing. We haven’t BOARD NAME TYPE OF MEETING – (REGULAR, WORKSESSION, SPECIAL) 9/9/20 – MINUTES Page 4 felt the need to market the course as busy as it’s been. The Marketing staff will be putting funds towards our Holiday promotions. They have continued to email the Newsletters. Scott suggested that the Board sign up to receive the Newsletter. Scott informed the Board the first BFO meeting with Council was list night. He reminded them that the city has decided to go to a one-year BFO offer. Scott stated that staff will not receive increases this year and we now have a hiring freeze. He mentioned that Southridge was unable to get the golf carts they were supposed to get this year. However, both Southridge and City Park Nine are scheduled to get carts next year. Scott stated that final budgets will be approved around the first of November. Mike asked what the links are to the city’s Master Plan. Scott reviewed our Strategic Objectives and explained that each offer can be linked to 3. • 2021 Work Plan Scott informed the Board that the deadline for the approval of the 2021 Work Plan has been moved to November. After review and a brief discussion, the Board decided to revisit this at their October meeting. They felt it was best to have more direction regarding the Reimaging of Boards and Commissions before making their final recommendations & approval. • Water Update Scott informed the Board that a few weeks ago the New Mercer Ditch was shut off without any prior notice. He mentioned that some of this has to do with the Cameron Peak fire. He informed the Board that there is a reservoir up there in the middle of the fire that they haven’t been able to access, which has affected the Poudre River. We have received less than 1 inch of precipitation in Fort Collins since June, we had the hottest August on record and one of the top hottest June & July on record. Scott said Southridge has had to cut back on rough watering and Jim has been cutting back as he can. He stated that we have had to rent water because of this, but the lack of storage at Southridge is an issue. 8. FINANCIAL UPDATE/ROUNDS REPORT There was a brief discussion during the Season Review. Scott mentioned again that the courses were closed the majority of January through April, which had an impact on revenues. However, we have rebounded after opening the courses. Premier Cards have increased, but Annual Pass sales have decreased. The restaurants were negatively affected by COVID. Though they have rebounded well, they are still only allowed to run at 50% capacity. Scott reminded the Board that Kevin Sheesley took over ownership of CB & Potts. He said Kevin is working on promotions to bring customers inside when the cooler weather approaches. Scott stated that Kevin is a big CSU fan and he will be running promotions during game days. He mentioned that we saved some personal service funds with the retirement of higher paid superintendents and hourly hiring delays. Our spending BOARD NAME TYPE OF MEETING – (REGULAR, WORKSESSION, SPECIAL) 9/9/20 – MINUTES Page 5 has been limited due to uncertain effects of COVID and closure. Most of the equipment purchases were delayed until 2021. Scott also mentioned that a section of the netting at Southridge was replaced. We continue to hope for good weather and to finish the season on a positive note. 9. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS • BFO Discussion Mike informed the Board that he served on the Advanced Review Committee for the Parks Master Pan. He stated that Golf is mentioned very little in the plan. Scott asked that he provide him with a copy of the plan. Tom asked if Kevin took over the Potts contract. Scott explained the process. He said Kevin is the sole owner and does not have a partner. He informed the Board that all Potts restaurants in Colorado closed. Scott said Kevin can keep the name, but he will not be selling their beer. Scott mentioned that we will be looking into more disc golf events in the winter. He feels this is very beneficial to the Golf Fund since they will play even if the course is covered with snow. Scott said we will likely hold our October meeting through Zoom as well so we will get that information out next month. 10. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by James Penland, seconded by Kathy Meyer, the Board adjourned at 8:30.