HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-19 Golf Board Minutes CITY OF CALDWELL APPROVED
Caldwell Golf Board—Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, February 19th, 2020
Date -7I ( / zow
8:00 AM
Zach Wagoner,chairman, called the meeting to order.
Members Present:
Zach Wagoner, Chairman
Shirley Akagi, Vice Chairman
Doreen Burnham
John McGee, City Council Representative-
Jeanne Cridebring,Women's Representative
Sue Kushlan
Chuck Bosen, Secretary
Staff Present:
Bret Williams, Purple Sage Golf Course Professional
Ken Wheeler, Course Superintendent
Pam Wagoner,Jr. Golf Representative
Carol Mitchell,Deputy Treasurer City of Caldwell
Members Unable to Attend:
Roger Garner, Fairview Golf Course Professional
George Scott, Men's Representative
Pete Burton, PGA Associate Director of Instruction
Review of Minutes from October 16th, 2019 Meeting:
The board reviewed the minutes from the October meeting. Jeanne Cridebring moved to accept the
minutes with one minor correction in the spelling of Bret William's name and Doreen Burnham seconded
the motion. The motion carried.
Old Business:
New Business:
Staff/Representative Reports:
Superintendent: Ken Wheeler reported that the cold temperatures in early February set back the
maintenance a little,but overall, the courses have come through the winter months remarkably well. The
work on the water well for Fairview continues. The pumps have been ordered. Hole #8 is currently open,
but it is anticipated that it will need to be closed temporarily when the site work is completed. Green aeration
is set for April 20th &22nd for first round and July 27th & 28th for second round at Purple Sage. April 8th and
August 19`" for Fairview. Ken also reported that cart-path restoration remains on hold at this time. It is very
costly and the well project is the first priority. Ken will continue to explore options that are less cost
prohibitive including recycled asphalt. The cart paths issues will likely be re-approached in 2021. Ken and
the maintenance crew continue to do some general cleanup and 10 additional trees were taken out. Several
new trees were also planted in the Fall and are thriving. Finally, Ken reported that the work on re-doing the
sand traps on hole #'s 5, 16,& 12 continues. New drainage is being put in and new sand will be added to all
the traps.
Golf Professional Bret Williams reported that revenue for the first month and a half of the year was up
approximately 35%in large part due to the episodes of warmer weather so far. Season pass sales are also up
so far. There will be some new personnel working at Purple Sage this season. Pete Burton will be helping
out some additional hours in the pro shop. There will be some minor changes with the snack bar offerings as
well. While the season pass sales were down some in 2019 and the total number of rounds played were down
slightly, the revenue was up. This is primarily a result of better management of prime tee times and the new
addition of the restricted pass. The outlook for 2020 is quite positive. Bret reported that earlier this month
the courses participated in the Idaho Golf Show in Boise. The feedback was excellent again. Bret also
reported that after several years of not raising prices, there will be a small increase in green fees. However,
this will be partly offset by the reduced twilight rates. There have been two additional tournaments added at
Purples Sage for 2020. The Men's city championship will be held July 18th & 19`h at both courses. After some
discussion with the board, there may be some consideration for a couple's season pass and potentially a
chapman series in the late summer or fall. Finally,Bret reiterated the opportunity to increase the access for
junior golfers during the afternoons when tee times have been a little slow.
Report on Women's Association: Jeanne Cridebring, the Women's Representative reported that dates for
the Women's Travel Team and the WIM have been announced. February 29th will be the women's luncheon.
March 3rd will be the first ladies play date for the season. The women's association have been very active in
serving with much planned for the near future. The purple flower hanging baskets were ordered for the patio
at Purple Sage, the women will be serving at the breakfast for the Men's Association on March 15`h, donate
and assist with Meals on Wheels during the holidays (approximately $400), and they have continued to
maintain the Rose Garden at Fairview. The women's association has and will continue to donate to junior
golf by way of remembering individuals by name. Jeanne requested some work and cleanup for the women's
bathroom at Purple Sage. The cleaning schedule was discussed with the board and Bret will be following up
with a plan (include personnel working the snack bar having responsibility to clean at closing daily and
continued weekly deep cleaning). Finally,Jeanne announced that the women's association represented well at
the WIM event last fall by taking first place! The team of eight included Jacky Campbell, Hanna Larson,
Vickie Ciccarelli,Jacque Ingles, Sue Kushlan, Doreen Burnham,Lisa Hedrick and Jeanne Cridebring.
Congratulations ladies!!
Report on Men's Association: No report at this meeting.
City of Caldwell Report: Carol Mitchell introduced John McGee. John will serve as the city council liaison to the
board going forward. John was recently elected to the city council. Carol further led a discussion with the board
regarding some operational items. This included the increase in labor costs mostly related to the low
unemployment and lack of qualified laborers. As noted above in Bret's report,green fees will increase by$1.50
while the twilight rate will be available for$15 after 2:00 PM. There was also discussion about the consideration
of a portion of green fees being allocated to course improvement as an option to generate funds for projects like
the cart paths. Bret will be conducting a review of green fee rates around the area to determine current market
options. Carol also reported that while the golf course trends are positive, the revenue for the golf courses came
in at approximately$250k short of revenue compared to expenses.
Junior Golf Report: Pam Wagoner briefly reviewed the outlook for junior golf access at the courses for the season.
She noted the positive increase in participants year over year with expected further growth in 2020.
Adjournment:
Doreen Burnham moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 AM, Sue Kushlan seconded the motion,motion
carried. The meeting was adjourned. Next meeting will be Wednesday,April 15`h, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Chuck Bosen
February 2020