While Tony Gowan might understand the ups and downs of running a municipal golf course, he also understands course management from the city administration’s standpoint.
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Tara Hills is one of the two municipal courses owned and operated by the City of Papillion, located just across the street from Gowan's elected ward. PHOTO: city of Papillion. |
Gowan has the unique perspective of being a councilman in his city of residence and working as a golf course superintendent at a municipal course in the neighboring town. His employers are the city of Papillion, Neb., where he works at Tara Hills Golf Course, and the people of nearby LaVista that he represents. So far, he’s enjoying the two-sided occupation.
“My boss and city administrator have been supportive if I have to take time off to attend functions for the other city,” he says, adding it usually is accompanied by some good-natured, tongue-in-cheek ribbing. “It really makes for a fun working environment.”
Gowan describes Papillion as a bedroom community with a population between 17,000 and 18,000. It’s also fairly old, having been established for more than 100 years.
On the other hand, the 40-year-old LaVista, where Gowan lives and is a councilman, is the newest city in eastern Nebraska. The city, which has a population of 15,000, is experiencing dynamic growth, Gowan says.
“It’s good for the community because of the increased sales-tax and property-tax revenue increasing because of people moving to the city,” he says.
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Both cities are in a progressive mode, which leads to friendly competition. This might be the case, but Gowan says he has never been in a conflict of interest situation in which being employed by both cities has been a problem.
“When I went into this, I met with the city administrator in LaVista,” he says. “I told him if there ever was a situation that would arise and bring controversy, I would abstain from the vote. I don’t mind speaking my mind on an issue, but I wouldn’t vote.”
Tara Hills is one of two municipal golf courses the city of Papillion owns. Eight-year-old Eagle Hills is in the eastern part of the city.
“It’s a fun course to play,” says Gowan, who has been working in the golf course management industry for 30 years. “It’s got an older design, so there are more places to miss when you hit a ball and recover it. It’s not so penal like a lot of newer courses.”
The story of the 30-year-old, 18-hole Tara Hills course isn’t unlike that of any other municipal course, Gowan says.
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“We’re experiencing issues with older equipment in the irrigation department and need some upgrades there,” he says. “We’ve also been hurt by the overbuilding of courses in the area. Rounds have gone down the past few years. At the same time, we feel we offer a good product and it’s affordable for our customers.”
Tara Hills generates about 45,000 rounds per year.
The city of LaVista also has a course, which some fellow council members would like to see closed, Gowan says. He believes the course is still the best way to use the land, and he sticks up for it – even if it might take business from the course where he works.
Gowan describes the market as tough, but adds municipal golf courses have an advantage over private courses because they’ve been dealing with tight budgets long before rounds started to decline, as opposed to courses in the private sector that are just starting to learn how to be resourceful.
“Some of most talented people I’ve worked for work are in the municipal setting,” he says, adding it helps people to get past the stigma that municipalities are run inefficiently. He especially credits the administrators in each town: city administrator in LaVista, Brenda Gunn, and his boss in Papillion, Dan Hoins.
“Municipal employees and elected officials take pride in what they do,” he says. “They’re serving greater good to make the community as best as it can be.”