Lakeview Golf Course will be in new hands later this month as golf professional Doug Hargis is taking over all operations.
Ardmore city commissioners approved a formal plan Monday night to turn course management and maintenance over to Hargis on Oct. 23. He is expected to sign a five-year contact with the city later this week.
The city has been losing money at the golf course for the past several years, and city leaders anticipate the deal will move their costs much closer to the break-even point. Hargis will get $482,531 a year from the city. Under the new agreement, the city will continue to collect revenue from golf course operations and will no longer have to pay either the maintenance or personnel expenses associated with running the course.
“We won’t have any city employees at Lakeview Golf Course,” Parks and Recreation Department Director Kevin Boatright said Monday.
Course maintenance costs have risen significantly in recent years, and employee pay and benefits have escalated, as well. More than 70 percent of the maintenance budget has been going toward payroll and employee benefits.
A Parks and Recreation Department risk assessment study in 2007 recommended that the city hire a private company to maintain the golf course. The city advertised for bids from private contractors, but only one firm responded and its bid was rejected. City Manager Dan Parrott recommended city contract with Hargis during the commission’s annual goal-setting retreat earlier this year.
Boatright said three city employees at the golf course were terminated Friday, but he anticipated the transition period before Hargis officially takes over will go smoothly. Three Parks and Recreation Department workers with prior experience in golf course maintenance have been temporarily assigned to the course.
Boatright said the city’s agreement with Hargis will require him to meet specific performance standards to ensure the course meets “the quality that is expected in the golf course industry.” In addition to periodic inspections by Boatright and other city staff, the city will pay for an annual, third-party course evaluation by the United States Golf Association Greens Section.
“We will make sure it is as good as it is today and, hopefully, better,” Boatright said.
In a related action, city commissioners also approved selling Hargis $62,000 worth tractors, mowers and other equipment needed to keep the course in quality condition.
Steve Biehn, 221-6546
steve.biehn@ardmoreite.com
