City to discuss Bobby Jones improvements

As the City Commission considers committing up to $16.7 million for renovations at Bobby Jones Golf Club, city administration is warning that the financial future of the municipal course would be uncertain even after any improvements are made.

On Tuesday, the commission will hold a special meeting to discuss its ongoing efforts to implement a master plan for Bobby Jones Golf Club. For more than four years, the city has been examining how to address continued financial losses and deteriorating infrastructure at the city-owned recreational facility.

Working with consultant Richard Mandell, the city developed a report estimating the 45-hole facility needed more than $21 million in improvements. At the direction of the commission, Mandell and staff have worked to refine an improvement plan and provide potential financing options.

Tuesday’s meeting will allow the commission to decide between different levels of financial commitment to improvements at the golf course. The estimated cost of retaining all 45 holes, building a new clubhouse and a player development center would be $16.7 million, according to material included with Tuesday's meeting agenda. The cost for those same improvements without a clubhouse would be $13.4 million.

City staff estimates that level of investment would require between $1.2 million and $2 million in annual debt payments, paid out over a 10- or 15-year period.

In addition to deciding their preferred level of investment, the commission must address questions of long-term financial feasibility, City Manager Tom Barwin said in a memo. If the commission continues to prioritize an affordable course for residents, Barwin said it is possible Bobby Jones will still need to draw a general fund subsidy.

“Any additional and/or significant subsidies to the BJGC would require probably reductions, perhaps dramatic reductions, in other city services and/or programs, or require a tax increase,” Barwin’s memo states.

As a result, city staff produced an alternative renovation plan: reducing the size of the course to 27 regulation holes and a nine-hole development center. The cost for that level of improvement would range from $11.9 to $15.2 million, demanding annual debt repayments between $1.1 and $1.8 million.

If the city begins the course of designing the renovations in early 2019, construction could begin in spring 2020, Barwin wrote. He said the city should be able to keep at least 18 holes open during any construction period.

Barwin’s memo, along with other related material, is available on the city website.