Golf Commission - Regular Meeting

All right.

Okay, let's call the meeting to order. Let's let the record show that the meeting is being videotaped. Will be posted to the city's YouTube account. First item on the agenda is approval of the minutes for January 26 meeting. Make a motion of the approved minutes January 2016. Second. Anybody opposed? Say I I

All right. Uh under business, we decided the building feasibility study. I don't think there's been anything updated. I think it was still a block plan. Correct. That was the last update I had as of last week. Dan, your update. Um, talked to Bill and I'm going to go back to work full-time on Monday, March 16th.

We'll start posting hours, get money coming in there. I'm sure Bill will be anxious to get the range wide open. Um, and get that going. Um, looking to employ two along the way, depending on what it looks like for heats. Um, other than that, everything pretty much is status quo as far as last year. Uh, I sent out the tournaments, the leagues, and all that information last week. I have the deadline for Friday. When I get all that back in, I'll I'll create, you know, to finish the schedule, get it out to everybody. I took the restaurant fees off of it. Um, [clears throat] the rest of the stuff on there and, you know, not not as crowded as it used to be. Sure. Everybody should get close to what they want to raise the time. So other than that, that's about it for me. Any questions for them?

Uh I do have a question. Um you know the rerating of the course is that going to impact the uh our scorecard. So yeah, we're I'm going to send all the new information over the scorecards. All the new information is going to get hand get out have to get put into I think MGA will take care of all of the system all of it on their side uh for the rings and slopes and I think I may need to update Golf Genius to put all the new new in there so that when I use that Golf Genius system to create scorecards it's accurate you know especially as far as the yardage goes and the uh the a lotments for the uh hand cap holes

for the Okay. And is any Have you met with the handicap tournament committee or there?

Uh no. Yeah, we're going to go we're going to get going soon. Um the schedule's going to stay about the same as last year. And I can I can see as far as the two changes um the the handicap the range and the slopes of all the uh TE's did go down a little bit. Um, so I think I think that's going to slightly elevate everybody's handicaps coming into this year, more so at the end of the year when all the scores flush out from last year before. Um, so we're really going to need to be very detailed in how we go about creating a system um to make sure that handicap scores are accurate. Um, I kind of wish that the the world handicap system would just require everybody to post hole by hole scores because it's almost impossible to screw it up that way. Um,

yeah, that's the one I do that. But yeah, then you don't need to know where you get your shots on. Um, it's something certainly something that I can suggest heavily to everybody at our place to post score. It does take a little longer um, but you get more detailed information out of it as well. um as far as your averages by whole type and stuff like that. Um but yeah, we're gonna have to be pretty pretty detailed on what we come up with um and and creating some sort of system to you know and add penalties to it um and how people are going to get reduced if they don't properly post their scores. Okay. Well, thank you. Yep.

That's it. And that's I guess the same vein the um handicaps with the holes. Um my understanding is it's up to the course whether not to accept the changes but how they're how I email with Tom to see if those courses adopt that stuff because it comes out of system and see if most of them do um you know with with the data in front of us. I personally think we should, you know, it is certainly a change. It's close. Um, so it's it's cutting hairs, I think.

Yeah. But, you know, it's just a matter of, you know, we don't do a lot, you know, a lot of our stuff is metal pipe, but there are a lot of stuff. We do the old metal caps that'll be living like this this set of numbers for what 30 years probably. I would imagine, you know, how many holes changed? [clears throat] They were all about, you know, I didn't say 10 to 12 of them, but a little different. Um, based on on decimal points on some of them,

there's flip gloves and there's a different waiting of they do a thing called triads and so they wait, they want you to get your shots during match. So, they don't favor at the end. So, holes get a little more weight or

then the beginning kind of spreads everything out a little bit. They don't want the three hardest holes being the three mil holes. They spread them out a little bit so that then you'llffect the match on those three holes. You get three shots and I don't cuz you know kind of spread them out a little bit. So I don't know if that tri system was in effect. I don't think it was part of the world system. So um so that will kind of take everybody back education and that's another reason why posting would be even more invitations this year because those numbers have changed a little bit. Bill. Um, the only thing I really wanted to bring up, excuse me, [clears throat] was the restaurant situation. Um, everyone's kind of caught up on, you know, everyone's kind of sort of caught up to speed on it. Um, there's got to be a decision made pretty soon. Um, it's the first week of March. Everything takes a while. Um, regardless of who runs it, it's going to take them couple three four weeks um to get everything set up. It's of the opinion of the city solicitor that there is a conflict of interest with the current restaurant provider um because he is an employee. Um something that we'll dig into deeper. Um but I think we should have a contingency plan for if that person cannot run the restaurant, how fast can we have put together another meeting um and figure out a worst case scenario. Um there's an email that has been printed out in front of everyone um where it lays out a couple options. It's a little bit all over the place, but um you know, timing is of the essence here. Um it would be ideal if the restaurant

proprietor from last year could do it again somehow because it is all this equipment up there familiar with the operation. it would be the probably the quickest person to get back in action um and and have it ready to go for golf season. Um the learning curve would obviously be a lot less. Um but regardless, I think we need to have something in plan. Um with what we would do if that fell through. So kind of open conversation. Um but like I said, we're all up to speed. Maybe we just need to think of what we can do right now as soon as we can and then what we'll have to do if nobody jumps in to run it. Um if it goes out to bid I don't know the fastest turnar around on a bid. A couple weeks maybe.

Yeah posted for a minimum of two. Sure. So a couple weeks. So you know the faster we have another meeting to decide on it. You're still two and a half three weeks out from right now. before getting maybe no one in a food truck. I don't know. Um, but like I said, the equipment's up there. If that person couldn't do it, we'd have to think about, are we buying new equipment? Are we buying that equipment right there? Um, probably lean towards the ladder

cuz it is already in there. It already fits. We're familiar with it. That person knows how to work on it. um we'd already be on staff, but stuff we need to think about really really quickly, make a decision and then post it out there. Regardless, post it out there. But um yeah, the restaurant is top priority over everything right now. Have any bids gone out? No. No. Okay. Can the current operator bid on it? And and in that case, can he not be an employee of the city too? Like is that or can he bid it the same way that we had him doing it last year? That's that's what the question

that's that's the conflict of interest piece of it. Yeah. It's the employee and the the initial understanding is if you if you are a paid city employee on that golf course property from golf course funds you cannot run a private business that makes money within those parameters so far but I guess need to get more clarity around exactly what the limitations are the questions I think to be answered but I don't know if I think that possibly Mike's going to be starting big process as well um just to be running parallel um at the same time.

Yeah, because that person in theory throw their hat in that ring and we'd at least have a process if they wanted to still throw their hat in that ring and we have the same them because of that reason. Sure. Yeah. Obviously the main concern here is not having anything up there. So I I mean it do we have to run parallel plans to get a food truck up there if everything like is that another big process? Like what does that look like? I mean there's a lot of questions here to get to figure out and if we don't get answers pretty quickly now and it's March like we're going to be in a tough spot. Yeah.

So I think you having some parallel plans make sense. My opinion is this is just an opinion. There's another opinion by another attorney that was the opposite. I'm all for maintaining the status quo. I wonder like us being a an enterprise fund. How does that differentiate for for us from what the city does for business? But we don't pay the enterprise fund doesn't pay their salaries. Whose salaries? The operator. Well, no, not the restaurant. No, but he works for the golf course. He's working for the enterprise. Okay. Maybe. Yes.

There's a little discussion here about us being an enterprise fund and maybe it wasn't even considered. You know, what does that mean being an enterprise? You have an independent city of God. I would think I would say financially but within the constraints and rules of everything. We set a precedence and we have a again another opinion a former opinion when we went down this road to begin with and now the apple cart before. Do we have any idea if he has to pick one or the other? Which route?

That's what I think we got to find out. No, but but what you'd have to do is you'd have to re Josh and Amy would have to rewrite in purchasing with the city solicitor and you guys would have to rewrite what the contract stated in order to incentivize him doing such a thing in order from him leaving a full-time benefited job in order to run the restaurant seasonally. Him or anyone, you know, go out to bid would have to be compensated to run that restaurant. especially in the situation where you know you're flirting with April 1st. You're going to open a golf course and you got no restaurant. Have to be somebody with a liquor license, someone with equipment, someone willing to either put new equipment in or use the current. Um I think the biggest thing is that you just got to turn and burn on another meeting as soon as possible. You could probably, you know, if it's going to be 48 hours for another meeting, schedule another meeting for Thursday, find those answers in the next 24 to 48, put it on an agenda and come back and have a plan.

I'd recommend having I think out of Bill's plan of having another meeting as soon as possible, see if we can come up with iron next steps. So yeah, that that would be I mean that's my session. You guys probably could go. So, is everybody available for Thursday at 4:30 to make it work? Yes. [clears throat] Yeah.

We're fine. So, uh, but that's all that's all for me. So what happens between now and then? Are we getting answers from from Vinnie or second? My plan is my plan is okay from further information to the committee. Is this the first step? I don't know. So you need to information post them. So what happens is central register needs postings in um no later than Wednesday at 3:00. Same thing with garden news. So that's for the following post that's going to go out. So whatever like hypothetically today we decide we want to start the bid process drop down the paperwork tomorrow it can't be submitted any later than 3:00 on Wednesday.

So we need to decide that. So you have to decide on Thursday. So on Thursday like we Josh that'll give Josh the time to get the contracts correct or whatnot and get them submitted in time. It'll be a twoe process from that time. So you're looking at third week of March for it to end and that will be when the bids will be due and that's when we open them up in the office and then we the bids however many there may be um if any and then that's when you guys get back involved and look through them. Um that process has way correct going through that has to happen no matter what that process is we need to do that step no matter what regardless regardless

but the bid paperwork has to go out with all the exact criteria of what is being bid out so you mean if if the current person doesn't get cleared the current isn't heard wouldn't he get first right to just say run it back was it a two-year thing I thought it was two or three years and then it's open up for bidding. So I don't know what are so that was the first year actually was the first year is it because it wasn't a renewed contract. It has to start over right over because because he's saying he can't he can't you know have the contract. That's why it's like you go back out to rebid.

So he's got to go back to rebid anyway. Sounds like to me it has to because unless unless he leaves the uh the golf course as an employee and then decides to do the restaurant without working for the city even if if there is a different [snorts] opinion or we can keep the status quo we obviously resubmit the previous bid right he has a one year option

yeah so cool I think we get those going as well and Nice point about pos what what are options options are for the interim I don't know if that has to be bid like you said about getting the food truck there's something there but obviously there' be no a food truck because you get different ones probably unless you were solid saying that this one food truck was going to be there for x amount you do for the city they do their food truck I think they just get the permits through the health department and that's you know it's on public property they can do whatever they want I mean it's the biggest like your license for food is not you guys can have peanut butter or sandwiches the alcohol call force where you tell people booze and you don't serve it.

But the good news is is that when that bid day comes what usually limit time on the day that once that happens and you establish this is the one we want the ability for us to execute a contract can be very quick. um we can make it happen which then once that's in hand all the permits all the licenses everything cuz you know you still have to go through like your licensing hopefully that license is still available we don't even know the answers to these questions like they're kind of you know that

but also say you call me we have a meeting on Thursday okay and then we figure out let's run it back put it out there for two weeks nothing bites on that call it the call it April one you're at and then and you say, "Well, now we can change the contract, right? We could essentially change the contract, change the bid, incentivize somebody to come in here for x amount of dollars. You would have to pay a person to run your restaurant, which I mean, common sense is you probably knew this day was coming." And then you write up a new contract, put it out to a new bid, put it out there for two weeks. You're in the middle of April with a I would consider a juicier contract. Most of the time, most people don't open till May 1st,

right? them. Yeah. You might want to consider if this is in the favor of what you want to do. The a one year isn't mandatory. You could do it for three. You could do it for five if city council gets involved. But there's other options. So you could make it so you don't have to worry about city council to approve the five. It would just take too long. Um again, we could get expedited. We could do it done in a meeting. But three [clears throat] is free would be great. That would be a great start. So there's that. Yeah. But that's all for my work. Any update on the pipe?

Um so I talked to the original two contractors who So we got approval in October, end of October. Yep.

I reached out to the two original contractors who had gone through purchasing who were ready to go. There was no communication. It was the end of their season. Those guys were really busy. I reached out a couple times. No one communicated with me. We went and we sought some references from Goodard company, the people who did the consulting and the extra 10 to $15,000 in additional testing and said, "Who do you recommend to do such work?" They said, "This company's name is Sumco. They're all through New England. [clears throat] They're pipe guys. They're the best. They know everything about wetlands and municipalities, and that's what they do. had a couple site visits with a few people. I got an email a week and a half, two weeks ago. It was a general quote. Guy said the gist of it was if you like this number or in the realm of I can get a more detailed quote and we can send it out to you. That quote was for $168,000 to replace about a 50ft section of 12in pipe. Welcome to Massachusetts. He had to c in his estimation he would have to cough or dam the entire length of the pipe out there. Drain all in there, pump it all out, get in and excavate and do that. The original quotes from the people who were too busy last fall or ran out of time either way. Um was significantly less. Either way, that information would have to go to purchasing. Um, I have since gotten in contact with those two original guys and said, "I don't know what spring's going to look like. It's probably going to be really, really, really wet and you're not going to be able to do it right away, but can you put us on the list?" They said, "Yes, we'll see." And we told yes a lot. So, I would imagine we're going to start off the season with it being that wet and they're not going to be able to do the job. certainly can't bring in pumps that soon because our pumps are still out of North Ray and they haven't been

refurbished. So, we'll probably go right back to using city water and we'll move through it until the conditions of the area to work in makes sense. We go through purchasing, lay, we bring in those contractors, we get it done, and then in theory, we fire back on the old pumps and the old irrigation system and it all works. Between that and a restaurant, you need to bring more candy next time, please. So, sorry. You need to harass the other two, right? I didn't know they were being a problem.

They weren't being a problem. We were being a problem cuz we told them for a year and a half we were going to do a job for them and they planned and they came in. No, it's not. It's the state of Massachusetts. Gotcha.

All right. So, there was no correspondence. Um, commission member comments, you got anything? Well, I would just like to ask aside from the restaurant issue, how uh may we as a commission, myself or the members of golf course better support you and Dan? You guys are nailing it. See you Thursday. Got two days to get a lot done. We'll take the rest of the year off the restaurant. Um Dan, do you have anything? [clears throat] Um, no. All right, let's go over to financials.

So, total revenues of about 631,000. We're at roughly 49% of our budget. Uh, expenses of six about 632. So, we're at 72% of our budget. That's because this is something that um to do with the new equipment and I need to transfer some money um which I will make that recommendation to the mayor at some point in the next couple months and get that money transferred over. So we're at well we're pretty much breaking even right now. Any questions on the financial motion we accept financial a so we're going to have a meeting on Thursday regarding the restaurant and then meeting let's go to April [clears throat] 6 Then

I won't be present today. Okay. Is that good for everybody else? Yes. Okay. So, what time on Thursday? 40 4:30. Yes. Okay. Yeah. I'll post it. I'll call you. Remind me. Okay. I will. No worries. meeting on Thursday I guess earlier at work for anyone like do you want to have earlier in the day to come I don't publicize something later in the day you guys just have done earlier I Thursday before

noon client meeting at 11 two 3 2 1 You call it. How about 2:30? 2:30, but it's okay at 2:30. Um, I mean, at that point, we probably won't have to go into executive session because we're just looking for information to find out what we're going to do. What are the options? Yeah, two options there.

And then if we need another one, you know, if we decide to go that route when we have to decide what we're going to, you know, pay the person or whatever, then we'll go to get clarity on. Yeah, get some clarity on. Would you like me to I'm confused. Can you come to this meeting? Yeah.

Yep. You can. That'd be good. Thursday. This Thursday at 2:50 and then April 6 done. Need a motion to adjurnn. Motion to second. I second. All say I. I. Thank you. Thank you.