City officials on Tuesday proposed hiring an outside firm to run the 18-hole Schenectady Municipal Golf Course and oversee development of surrounding land, a move they hope will improve operation of the 69-year-old course.
"If for no other reason but lack of funds, that is a first-rate, championship course," Mayor Brian U. Stratton said.
The city expects within a few weeks to begin advertising for "request for proposals" from firms experienced with running golf courses. They hope to have formal proposals back by Sept. 15.
Schenectady City Council President Frank Maurizio said he is seeking a "creative, comprehensive partnership with the private sector, one that could increase revenues to the city, save taxpayers money and make Muni a destination point for the entire region."
But city officials left open the possibility that the current operation, manned by a city-hired golf professional and a privately contracted grounds crew, could stay in place if none of the proposals offer improvements over how the facility is already run.
The city, in the grips of a devastating financial crisis, has been weighing ways to improve the golf course without taking on the expense of renovating the club and making needed improvements.
Plans to privatize the operation of the golf course, first reported in the Times Union on May 17, has been under consideration by the city since a developer in February proposed buying some of the surrounding land to build townhouses. But Stratton was unimpressed with the $168,000 offer for the 10 to 12 acres needed for the project. He began exploring the possibility of an open competition for firms interested in operating the course and the development of the surrounding land.
City officials on Tuesday left open the possibility that two different companies could eventually be hired for the two different aspects of the city's proposal.
Michael Tamasi, who lives near the golf course and objected to the first proposal to build townhouses next to the course, said he was pleased that the city was considering more expansive plans for the operation and development of the course.
But environmentalist Elaine Willi said she feared that any new management plan would lead to the conversion of what is now city park land into residential development.
Source: The Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)