Milton Country Club Releases Update

From MCC: Thank you for your patience while we continued our short-term tasks for the Milton Country Club (MCC). As we mentioned in a previous email update, city staff presented to the City Council during the rescheduled Work Session on January 22. During this time, staff received preliminary guidance from the Council regarding short-term issues for the impending tennis and swim team season. If you were unable to attend that meeting, the recording is available here. The MCC discussion begins at 21:07.

Based on Council guidance provided during the Work Session, staff have been diligently working to address the short-term needs for the 2018 tennis season and further evaluate the condition of the pool and its equipment.

Tennis - As of Thursday, February 8, we can confirm that we have a contract in place to continue the tennis program with Terre O'Brien for the 2018 season. This contract must be approved by the City Council and is scheduled to be included on the Consent Agenda for the February 21 City Council meeting. Long-term tennis programming will be included in the overall community planning process. In addition to the organized tennis teams, city staff plan to present a proposal to Council that will allow the tennis courts to be reserved by the public for a small hourly fee. We anticipate this item will also be included on the February 21 agenda.

Pool Evaluation - City staff contracted with a private company for the complete evaluation of the pool and its equipment. While the equipment appears to be in good working order, there were some issues noted with the pool surface in the report. We will know more as we fill the pool and start up the equipment.

Swim Team - City staff continue their efforts to fully evaluate the swim team needs and considerations. Part of that effort included the pool evaluation details noted above. In addition, staff have been working to connect with key stakeholders including swim team coaches and swim team participants. We hope to issue a brief swim team survey in the near future. If you or your family participated in the Milton Mustangs swim team last year, please email Milton's Parks and Recreation Director Jim Cregge at Jim.Cregge@cityofmiltonga.us with your contact information. Please share this information with other swim team families.

Easements - We have received a number of questions regarding golf course and golf cart easements for those homeowners adjacent to the MCC. As mentioned during an earlier City Council meeting, the city attorney must review this matter. Legal continues its review and it is possible that the city will simply abandon those easements. We will update the community and homeowners as we know more.

Police Presence - Some may have noticed an increased Milton Police presence at the MCC. This was done merely as a precaution. Please do not be alarmed if you happen to see a Milton police car stationed in the parking lot.

Greenspace Bond Funds - The Finance Department has requested an appraisal of the active portion of the Milton Country Club (i.e. the clubhouse, pool and tennis facilities). This dedicated appraisal will help the finance team more appropriately allocate and maximize our greenspace bond funds. Until that process has been completed, and our finance staff have a more accurate accounting of the active portion compared to the passive greenspace throughout the course, the city utilized reserve funds to pay for the purchase of the MCC. This appraisal will help ensure we use the correct amount of greenspace bond funds. [Note: We are aware of possible community misinformation being shared regarding the intent to create "active" park space rather than passive greenspace by using funds other than the greenspace bond funds. Please be assured that this is not the case. We want to ensure we are utilizing the correct amount of greenspace bond funds for this purchase.]

Community Planning Process - The park continues to be closed to the public. As noted above, we are only addressing short-term needs associated with the impending tennis and swim team seasons. No long-term planning decisions will be made until the community is engaged in a formal community planning process. That process will not get underway until we have secured a professional consultant to assist us. As a government entity, we have certain procurement requirements we must meet when contracting for city services. The Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued and respondents have until February 13 to submit their proposal. After the proposals are received, there will be an evaluation process that must be completed and contracts must be presented to City Council for review and approval. All that being said, we do not anticipate the community planning process beginning for a few months, and when we do begin, it will involve all stakeholders including adjacent neighbors as well as the entire Milton community. Until that time, we will provide periodic updates along the way.

Should you have additional questions, please feel free to email us. We recognize and appreciate that while there is much excitement surrounding this purchase, there are understandably those residents, living adjacent to the property, who are more anxious. We want to reassure our adjacent neighbors and the entire Milton community that the planning process will not occur without the community's involvement.

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