Washburn: Too Small, Too Big, Maybe Just Right

It would appear that the city manager has come up with Plan D for Beaver Meadow. No surprise here. To view Beaver Meadow your need to look through a prism with three lenses; the course, the club house, and operations with each lens having distinct differences.

Acting on the advice of consultants, the course has never been in better shape and is a joy to play then it is today. The removal of trees throughout the course has improved fairways and greens and has added to the playability of the course, a job well done.

The club house has been described in most charitable terms “a dump”. It is beyond repair and replacement is no longer an option. I almost feel like Goldilocks in assessing administration proposals. The current 4,500 Sq. Ft. building is inadequate for current and future needs. Then came a 10,500 colossus that included a 140-seat restaurant. The public push back was so strong that a contra group of beleaguered property tax payers erupted in opposition. The 6,000 Sq. Ft. building may accommodate what is really needed for golf, snacks, and winter sports but the details of what is included remains a mystery. If you visit the newly constructed Pembroke Pines club house, you will observe a club house designed and built by someone who knew what they were doing. No geothermal heating system, no solar panels, no unnecessary addons. The city manager is good at “reading the room” and knows that the 10 votes required to bond the new club house aren’t there yet and with the new proposal at 6,000 Sq. Ft. it might work.

You need to understand that when the administration builds a capital improvement project it is like constructing a Christmas tree with each ornament have a different life span. Some ornaments have a 3-year life, with some it can be 5 years, 7 years 10 years and so on. The problem is the bonds issued to pay for the Christmas tree last from 20 to 25 years which taxpayers are paying interest on ornaments that have long been disposed of. Instead of bonding the short life assets, using the $1M reserve fund to pay for some of these items could result to the cost of the building being well under $5M.

The operations of the club or management have in the most least offensive terms been a disaster. The disaster has not been the fault of current and prior staff but of the council setting policy that has resulted in objectively poor management. If the course were properly managed, it could or should be totally self-sufficient and not require any property tax support to pay for debt service or operating expenses.

As a matter of full discloser, I was in my professional life a CPA, a golfer, and a board member and treasurer of the late and not so great Plausawa Valley Country Club. It alone was a challenging experience and was the equivalent of getting an advance degree in course management and in the case of Plausawa, how not to run a course. Eventually, Plausawa was subject to a fire sale to someone who knew how to run a course and had the vision and expertise to do so.

Outings and outside tournaments are a major revenue source for most golf courses but not for Beaver Meadow. Greens and cart fees are discounted by 76% for outings and up to 100% for outside tournaments. The golf week is divided into two sections, Tuesdays though Sundays are prime golfing days. Monday is normally a slow day. Therefore, the maximum discount for prime days for outings and outside tournaments should be no greater than 30% with the discount for Mondays being 40%.

Concord has two public school districts. The fees charged for golf teams from these districts should be less than the fees charged for non-Concord school districts but a reason fee should be assessed in either case.

All memberships golf, and cart should include a resident discount with non-residents paying a higher amount. The Junior membership should end at age 24 not 39.

Of late, we have observed two city councilors battling over Beaver operations. One has been adamant in discovering why the course has been so questionably managed, the other has been equally adamant to the point of embarrassment as to why the course in her opinion is well run which it isn’t. The time has come for the council as a whole to step up to the plate and make credible policy decisions that insure financial stability of Beaver for the present and future.

The first opportunity the public will have to speak on the budget is May 22 with the final vote on the club house being June 5th. The devil is always in the details and absent any details being available, and having my fingers crossed that what is being proposed makes sense, I support the 6,000 Sq. Ft. plan as I have always felt that this is what is necessary to support golf and winter sports at this location.