In order to get Fairways of Canton up to par, the Canton Building Authority met Aug. 16 to discuss different opportunities the city may take.
“This meeting is not for public comment or to make a decision,” Chairman Mike Chapman said. ”The purpose is to get an update to figure out what opportunities are out there.”
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Jessica Wagner | Ledger-News
During the Canton Building Authority meeting Aug. 16, Ward I Councilman Bob Rush, left, Ward II Councilman Jack Goodwin and Chairman Mike Chapman review photos of the Fairways of Canton clubhouse.
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On Aug. 2, the Fairways of Canton, which is owned by the Canton Building Authority and was leased to Rocky Roquemore, who designed and operated the course, closed down due to lack of funds.
Since shutting down the course nearly a month ago, Roquemore has given permission to the city of Canton to step in and maintain the $6-million course, which opened in 2007 as a public-private partnership between the city, the developer, Laurel Canyon LLC, and associated entities, Levitt and Sons and Laurel Canyon Golf.
During the city of Canton’s Aug. 5 work session, council members unofficially decided to maintain the Fairways of Canton until an official decision could be reached.
Also at the work session, the council informally agreed for City Manager Scott Wood to pay up to $40,000 for the maintenance of the private golf course, which Wood can do according to the city charter, in two $20,000 payments.
According to Wood, it will cost the city $10,000 to $11,000 per month to maintain the course, a few thousand less than the preliminary predictions of $15,000.
As part of the maintenance, the city will take over the electricity, water, landscaping around the clubhouse, install barricades in front of the clubhouse and police will patrol and inspect the grounds.
“Our first efforts are to save the greens,” said Ward I Councilman Bob Rush. “Then we will have to decided whether we want to maintain it or sell it.”
According to Rush, a former groundskeeper currently is working to salvage the 18-hole, 6,500-yard course. An oversight committee also is working pro bono, Rush said, to clean up the clubhouse, which basically was left empty.
“The clubhouse is in bad shape,” Rush said. “Roquemore took everything from the kitchen, including the kitchen sink.”
Currently, the oversight committee and former landscaper are working to get the course where it needs to be incase the city is left to manage it, Rush added.
While the clubhouse certainly is on the Canton Building Authority’s “to-do list,” the group’s main concern is saving the greens.
According to Rush, the authority will have to spend close to $4,000 to fix the irrigation on the course, a task that will have to be done prior to reseeding the greens, which is estimated to cost $8,286 for all 18 holes and does not include fertilizer, equipment or labor.
With the $40,000 allocated from the city council, Rush said the authority will begin working on irrigation and hopes to have the greens reseeded by the end of fall.
While the clubhouse and greens need work, Rush said the fairways look good, except maybe for their level of difficulty.
“We have gone to four groups who are professional management companies with ties to people interested in purchasing the course,” Rush said. “Each group walked the course and sent back suggestions such as minor changes that could be done, including making the course less difficult.”
According to officials, the course would need to see 22,000 rounds played per year in order to break even on the course’s expenses.
“If you do not have the rounds, you will not have the income,” Rush said.
According to Ward II Councilman Jack Goodwin, one of the four groups returned Aug. 18 and was predicted to make a proposal Aug. 23. No announcement regarding the course was made by press time.
“Things are moving rapidly,” he said.
While four companies have expressed interest in marketing the course, and may have ties to people interested in purchasing the Fairways of Canton, Wood said he felt an appropriate approach would be to advertise and develop a request for proposals (RFP).
“We really felt like the wisest thing would be to open it up and expose it to people who are a little more financially accomplished and experienced,” he said.
According to Chapman, the course has value.
“We need to take the high road as far as getting the city all of its money back,” he said, noting that currently $2.4 million is owed on the course. “Bottom line is that we are starting to see interest.”
Rush said the city is years away from being revenue neutral on the course.
The Canton Building Authority is scheduled to meet sometime this week to discuss the RFP or any proposals possibly made Aug. 23.
