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Minutes 12-13-07 MINUTES OF THE GOLF COURSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007, AT 3:00 P.M. IN THE CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Lynda Frederick, Vice Chair Arthur Gabler Herb Suss Kurt Bressner, City Manager, Non-voting Member Corrado P. Giangreco, City Alternate Frank Schicchitano, City Alternate Dan Hager,r.1anager of Golf Operations Scott Wahlin,Manager of Golf Maintenance Absent: Arthur L. Matthews, Jr., Chair James Smith Ron Levy, County Alternate I. Openings A. Call to Order Vice Chair Frederick call the,;'me~~ing to order at 3:05 p.m. , ":,-",,)',,, ',';1>1 B. Agenda Approval Motion Mr. Suss moved approval. Mr. Gabler seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 1. Additions/Deletions, Corrections None 2. Adoption Motion Mr. Giangreco moved to adopt. Mr. Gabler seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13, 2007 C. Announcements 1. Welcome New Board Member Frank Schicchitano Mr. Schicchitano was welcomed by the board. 2. Chairman Art Matthews i~Hstepping on the board (Election of New Chait' Business) ut would like to remain '::'~:"':, .~. ~",tal<e place under New ;:,--. "'<-,-+ ',;,; :;I,;"-,-J',,~,- Vice Chair Frederick advised Mr. Matthews submitted his resignation as Chairman. He resumed his teaching career and would be unable to devote the time necessary to serve as Chair. He would remain as a regular board member. II. Minutes Minutes of Golf Course AdvisoryCommit;tee SpeQial:~eeting of March 12, 2007. Motion Mr. Suss moved approval. Mr. Gabler seconded the motion that passed unanimously. III. Reports A.,~"" ~t1anager of Golf Maintenance Report 1. FDEPT~sting ResLllts ~~~vvahlin, Manager of Golf Maintenance, provided a PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Watllin . received a Contamination Assessment Report completed by the Florida Depertrnent()f Environmental Protection (FDEP). Numerous soil samples exceeded the Residential Soil Cleanup Target Level (SCTL) for arsenic. This was anticipated due to the use of a Unitecl Sta~es<Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved herbicide containing an organic arsenical compound thought to be stable and safe; inorganic compounds were n~t. ..' Five soil samples were speciated to determine whether the arsenic present was organic or inorganic. Organic arsenic comprised approximately 99% of the arsenic found. The FDEP did not differentiate between the two forms of compounds when determining SCTLs. One soil sample, located next to an island green on #4 of the Family Course, exceeded the industrial SCTL for arsenic, while 99% of the arsenic was determined to be in the less toxic organic form. FDEP Project Manager, Jose Diaz, advised no action was necessary unless the land use of the golf course was changed. The South Florida Management District (SFWMD) received the results of the 2 Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13, 2007 tests, and the hydrogeologist sent out a Request for Additional Information (RAI) letter, and wanted staff to delineate the plume of the contaminants. Mr. Wahlin appealed to the DEP and the SFWMD, advising there were no contaminants found in the lakes or the silt in the lakes. The DEP was aware of Mr. Wahlin's concern and contacted the SFWMD. As a result, the SFWMD was attempting to have the RAI lifted so that staff could obtain the water use permit. 2. Brownfield Status "C" ::;" -_'~ ~~:.._" :, Staff had the opportunity to apply for an EPA-fun9,~~grant to clean .nd close the brownfield. If the grant was awarded, staff ~()~19!i~{~~ommittednding a golf course at an approximate cost of $lM. Staff<diCfn,' 'q~Heve this would be a good business decision at this time. No changes to the gol(c';"~rwere anticipated. '':i.{_~' .. :' _ i~_' __ .. :., ow, 3. Audubon Survey Staff had received some negatives corhments fr6mgowe~with regard to the manner in which the lakes were maintained. The lakes edges were naturalized in order to clean up the runoff from the golf co~rse into the, lakes, a~,c:tto provide a habitat for wildlife. Staff anticipated conducting C)i~!!rvey in ord~r:,~Q9R~Jn feedback from the golfers. Mr. Wahlin believed the ne~ati~e commentsf]1ay ,Have resulted from a lack of communication, signage,,~nd',Jost golf balls. The board suggested delineating the red hazard lines, adding sigl1~ge"apd increasing awareness of the Audubon Society's certification of the Links. .;;:(.:~ .. -: ";::' Kurt Bressner,City Manager,s,uggested the board also consider using the data incluc;t~~\in the PowerPoil1tpresentation and other documents regarding the Audubon ceq:m~tion, while placing,~,~,bli~ service announcement on the Cable TV system. ;>',Q@P. Hager, Manager/of Golf Operations, advised staff purchased a digital "";"""I""',}"" """ picturej;fr~m~ at a cost ofl~~s,than $200. The equipment stored up to 500 photographs and text co6~dbeinsertec:t>~1Itaining to the Audubon Society certification. 4. Championship Course Greens Resurfacing Mr. Wahlin advised when the greens were built approximately 14 year ago and were re- topped with grass, the lifespan was expected to be a maximum of ten years. The Links' greens were currently contaminated. It was staffs intent to complete the resurfacing project by the summer of 2009, utilizing funds placed into a reserve account. When completed, the golf course would have met United States Golf Association (USGA) Green specifications. He discussed the process required to become USGA Green compliant. The approximate cost would be $300,000. 3 Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13, 2007 Mr. Wahlin discussed the USGA specification areas delineated with respect to the practice greens. It was staff's intent to renovate the greens next summer and restore them to the original sizes. The area covered approximately 12,000 feet and would cost approximately $32,000 to renovate. The irrigation control system in use was the originali;~~~JTl and was no longer supported by the manufacturer. Staff anticiJ?~~ed repla~,!t:)~i:ttl!~'..~~Fem n~xt summer, at a cost of $85,000 to $95,000. Much of the work wOtlld"be completed, in-house. 5. Aerification, Topdressing and Other Cultural Practices Aerification was used to reduce compaction, thatch and layering. It increased infiltration, released toxic gases and impr()ved soil structure. ,Three aerifications per year were recommended for the golf c()Hrse and were completeg,in the off season from June through September. Staff endeavored to ,make the surface as playable as possible. The topdressing process incluged backfillingaerifier,holes with sand and verticutting lines with sand to cause the slUTClce to be smooth. Staff endeavored to maintaintne mineral-to-organic constituent ratio. Greens were verticutted to rejuvenate and smooth the surfaces, and to control thatch and su rf(ice Jayering. B. Manager ofGplf Operations Report 1. Business Repor;t Dan Hager, Manager of Golf Operations, provided a recap of revenues and expenses for fiscal year (FY) 2006-2007, and comparisons from FY 2005-2006. The Links enjoyed an increase in rounds in 2006-2007 on the Championship Course in the amount of $4,246, and on theF~mily Course in the amount of $2,908. There were 52 bad weather days in 2005-2006, and 25 in 2006-2007. While the economy was the weak, the Links held its own in the market. Pursuant to the recommendation of the City's Finance Department, Golf Operations utilized the City's HTE accounting system and was able to retrieve reports in a matter of minutes. While revenues for FY 2006-2007 were anticipated to be $2,741,826, only $2,601,875 was received. Staff had budgeted $2,741,826 for expenses, but spent only $2,458,820. Golf Operations enjoyed a net gain, as revenues exceeded expenses by $143,055 for the past fiscal year. Further, included in the budget were reserve accounts funded on the expense side of the 4 Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13,2007 budget. Thus, in addition to the $143,055 net gain going into retained cash, Capital Improvement Program (CIP) expenses of approximately $150,000 were also funded. Surfacing greens, repaving cart path areas and other projects exceeding $750 per unit were funded from the CIP program. Mr. Hager Illet with the City's new Finance Director, Barry Atwood, regarding loans and rev~nue b,qnds. Staff anticipated resurfacing the greens at an estimated cost of $500,300,000 for the cost and $200,000 for lost revenues during down time). In the , , !!~~s necessary to obtain funding outside the CIP reserve account, retained cash,'w ~'hiKLa current balance of \',,-:~:}':r-\'-::<,,-j $450.000, could be tapped. . ",,,. ~< " Board discussion included replacement of the irrigation system. Mr. w~h'hhbelieved the cost to replace sprinkler heads was approximately $500,000. Other alternatives, such as retrofitting heads, were explored. 2. Advertising Mr. Hager pointed out, while most public golf courses, allowed advertising, advertising had never been permitted at the Links. Staff had explored the use of advertising and would not be opposed to creating a revenue stream through advertising, if it were tasteful. " 'J~" ~<--" :'i;>if The board discussed revepyes to be derivea'from advertising on score cards and menus. Mr. Bressne.r:a.....'.d....,v..'.i.se."...d.',..."..,.t..he City'sR.ecf1.e.'at.ion and Parks Department had utilized limited advertising in sorne'::6fthe parks as well as in the Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel. While there were some complaints initially, the advertising proved to be a good revenue source. Mr. Hager and Mr. Wahlin' had networked with several golf courses regarding new signage,inparticular, tee ," markers. Mr. Hager presented a slide depicting a totem granite tee>;rT'l~[~~r. The:~i:~ks logo would be placed at the top of the marker. The markers weighed":2,gOe9unds each, and were approximately 6 feet high and 22 inches wide. The advertisiqg'\iVould be placed tastefully at the bottom of the marker. There would be no cost for t:tie marker, which would be installed by staff. In order to recoup the costs for the signs, distributors would be provided with a list of potential advertisers in the area and would sell the advertisement to a local business for $900 (a three-year contract). At the end of the three years, the City would begin sharing in the revenue ($1,800 per year). Mr. Hager was impressed with the tastefully-designed advertisement as reflected in the PowerPoint slide, and sought feedback from the board. 5 Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13,2007 Vice Chair Frederick believed the markers were an excellent idea and felt the advertising was very tasteful. She had viewed lectern style markers and did not believe they were as attractive or as easy to read. Mr. Hager was exploring markers with another companya~ WeU. He would be receiving information and would keep the board apprised. If the>I:)<>"~9Wished to move forward, the process would take between four to six weeks to ,complete. Mr. Hager explained there would be no income from the markers for three years. (Mr. Bressner left the meeting.) Mr. Hager noted he had written three articles for a ne~<fl1agazine, Greater Boynton, published by Gloria Harman and Associates. Staff rene\~~ttt~ contract with the Golf Channel and would be doing two more t~n-second lead';'in~'fp;r9:rder to cut back on expenses. The previous price pro~ig~,,~~q,.~ff. for the'~mmercials would be maintained. Staff renewed the con~f".~~,wrth'tQ:e~i1>y,l}ton Cinema, (also held by Gloria Harmon and Associates). i,'i:ix;; " 3. Events held and scheduled since March 12, 2007: · Senior-Junior Professional Championship sponsored by the South Florida PrQfessional Golf Association (PGA) on May 4, 2007. · Adult-Child Tourpament on May 4, 2007. Proceeds from the event ~e~eutilized tOfund,the Junior Program. The sum of $1,000 was donatec:iJor a junior ~vent, the Park Vista Invitational. · Play forPiQl<event was held shortly after the last meeting. In the last two years, the Links donated a bit more than $7,000 to Breast Cancer Research',Tbis year the Links donated more than $10,000, partially due to a ~r;tnership with the Executive Women's Golf Association. · On May 18, 2008, the Links would be hosting the United States Golf Association, U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links, qualifying for their championship. 4. Park Vista Autistic Unit Mr. Hager advised eight young men were participating, two of whom had returned to mainstream schools. Promising breakthroughs were noted. It seemed a protein secreted in an autistic child having a fever caused remission of the condition. However, the autism would return when the fever broke. Weekly team meetings had not been 6 Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13, 2007 held as a result of transportation issues. It was hoped the meetings would resume after the holidays. 6. Automated tee-time system - Pace of Play Report (taken out of order) Hr. Hager assisted in the design of the computerized~y~er1'l;rloting information could currently be gathered in approximately 16 seconds. He.r~v(~~ed the statistics for start times, a copy of which was on file with the City Clerk, a~t:l nC:)teQ.~~~ults as to whether the sessions finished on time or late.' ';: 5. Junior Program Mr. Hager advised the Links held seven schools during the year. Rick Novak agreed to implement a Junior Golf Academy. He noted;the schedule fOt20Q8. Virtual Tour (This item was originally to have.b~~n discussed in Item 2, Advertising, under the report (Jlthe,:(iolfOperations Manager) Mr. Hager provided a powerP().ipt PresentatiQnand di~~ction as to the manner in which one would navigate through ttleLinks website tot~~~a virtual tour of the golf course, clubhouse, restaurant, driving r?nge, pro shop and practice greens. <~'~;l~'" Board discussion included;tJ'1e:?~lqt;>al Positioning Stake (GPS) clocks, and placement of rakes in th~.r,!~Hlfcarts versu~.;pn~b~ golf course. Mr. Hager advised of costly labor issues Re~nin.g~pr()kes in .m~:.J:)!.Jnkers, and therefore looked to golfers for cooperat.io.. n. Staff was monitoring the issue. . ." , Mr. Hager advised of improvements to the clubhouse and curbs. New steel bag racks were ,ordered and new signagE! would be added. A Player's Choice Program would be offered. Consideration had been given to changing the wording on the front entryway sign to)n(jigtte the golf cq~~E!was a certified Audubon sanctuary. He also discussed a business rel~tipnship thE! pinks had with CanAm Group, which allowed the Links to fill "dead time"'wpilE!,~erying as a source of revenue. ;.:.,r;/',:t';;,', IV. New Business Frequency of Golf Course Advisory Board Meetings Motion Mr. Suss moved for the board to have three meetings per year, and if any special meetings were needed, the Chairman or Dan, or a board member could approach the 7 Meeting Minutes Golf Advisory Committee Boynton Beach, Florida December 13, 2007 Chairman to call the special meetings. Mr. Schicchitano seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Election of New Chairperson Vice Chair Frederick indicated she would prefer objection to staying on as Vice Chair. Motion as Chair. She had no Mr. Gabler nominated Mr. Suss to serve as thEfriew~p~ir. Mr. seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Mr. Suss indicated his willingness to serve as Chair. V. Old Business None VI. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 4:23 p.m. ~...Q/- Stephanie D. Kahn Recqrding Secretary 012208 8