The Smithville Municipal Golf Course is getting a makeover.
During Monday night’s monthly meeting, the aldermen voted to enter into a one year agreement with RiverWatch Golf & Resort to upgrade and maintain the golf course for a year.
The cost to the city is $74,115 but since it is not being leased to anyone the city will get all revenues generated from the golf course, once it re-opens next spring.
The city previously had a 10 year lease with Tony Poss to operate the golf course and swimming pool, but Poss opted to terminate the lease last month. The golf course is now closed.
The city had allocated $7,000 in this year’s budget for the golf course so most of that money will now go toward paying RiverWatch . The remaining $67,000 plus to pay RiverWatch will be taken from the city’s general fund surplus. The city will also have other expenses associated with the golf course as per the agreement with RiverWatch.
Ken Lacy of RiverWatch outlined the proposal during Monday night’s meeting of the Smithville Mayor and Aldermen.
“Basically we’re offering the maintenance and renovation services to bring the golf course back to the status that you and the public want to see. We have the facilities, equipment, manpower, and knowledge. I have been in the golf course business since 1981. I have been a golf pro and superintendent. I have built and designed six golf courses from staging, planning, development, grow in, all the way through,” said Lacy.
“I feel we can get the golf course up and going but the opening date should be next spring. The greens can be putted on and played on immediately after aerification and some of the things we’re doing but I don’t want to open the golf course since we’re putting so much seed down. We’re going to seed these like they are new greens,” Lacy said.
The mayor and aldermen have said they don’t intend to lease the golf course/swimming pool again but plan to hire someone to manage it for the city. Alderman Gayla Hendrix said keeping the golf course closed until next spring gives the city time to establish a job description and salary for whoever is hired next season to run the golf course and pool.
Under terms of the contract , RiverWatch will provide the following services:
*Daily onsite golf course maintenance management
*Aerification process
*Top dressing greens
*Fertilization/Chemical applications (application equipment provided by RiverWatch)
*All equipment for day to day operations for golf course (greens mower, tee mower, fairway mower, walk blower, PTO blower and a PTO driven gang unit rough mower)
*RiverWatch will maintain all sharpening and adjusting of reels and blades during the contract period.
The city’s responsibilities under the contract will be as follows:
*City supplies working irrigation system
*City supplies all course related liability insurance
*City supplies all chemicals, sand, special project rental equipment and general maintenance and expense. (This includes all wear items, such as reels, belts, bed knives, oil changes, nuts, bolts, fuel, etc.)
*City is responsible for all fuel for all equipment
*City agrees to provide three pool laborers per week as needed to assist in non-skill specific course maintenance.
The work is expected to begin as early as this week once the weather clears.