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TOWN OF BREWSTER
Brewster, Massachusetts 02631
( 508) 896 - 3701
GOLF COMMISSION
Minutes of April 12"'9 2022
Commissioners Present : Anne O ' Connell (Chair) , Andrea Johnson (Vice-Chair), John Kissida , Jeff
Odell, Wyn Morton and David Valcourt .
Others Present : Jay Packett (Director of Operations) , Donna Potts (9-Hole Association) , Bill Meehan
(Finance Liaison) , Dave Whitney ( Select-board Liaison) and Rob Harris (CCMGA) .
THIS MEETING WAS HELD REMOTELY WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDED . The meeting
maybe viewed at : https :// reflect- brewster- ma . cablecast . tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/5961 ? channel = l
Anne O ' Connell called the meeting to order at 4 : 00 pm after reading remote meeting guidelines and
procedures .
Declaration of Quorum : Four out of seven golf commissioners were present and accounted for.
Public Comment : No official public comment
Anne O ' Connell did read an email sent by a representative of The Friends of The Captains mentioning
they have joined the Brewster In Bloom Community celebration as a bronze sponsor and will be hosting a
closest to the pin fundraiser on Saturday April 30`x' — They will also be hosting a putting contest and social
gathering on June 12`I'
Director' s Report :
Budget Status — Jay Packett stated Captains Golf Course has used 65 % of fiscal 2022 budget . We will
see this start to increase as a lot of our seasonal workers have begun to come back to work and weekend
crews for maintenance begin at the end of April/beginning of May.
Month of March — membership numbers have dramatically increased. March 2022 is up over 388 ,000
plus dollars primarily contributed to the memberships . Calendar year we are up over last fiscal year as
well . Driving range and pro shop sales are up year over year, and year to date we are up approximately
$ 300 ,000 over last year overall .
Month of March play totals are the highest since 2002 other than 2021 (where there was exceptional
weather) even with being closed 6 days in March . 4 ,221 Rounds have been played thus far in the year of
2022 . There are 3 months remaining in the fiscal year and a 1 . 23 million dollars is projected in retained
earnings for fiscal year 2022 .
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Anne O ' Connell asked if the retained earnings will be what is transferred in the Capital Stabilization Fund
if approved at the Town Meeting? Jay Packett noted that yes , if approved, $ 400 ,000 would be moved
from Retained Earnings to the Capital Stabilization Fund .
Anne O ' Connell commented that it might be useful to see how the increase in membership compares to
what we projected . After the month of April, we could update that and see how our predictions met the
reality.
Rob Harris noted that the numbers tend to show we are a little below the numbers we have predicted but
he doesn ' t have the complete picture just yet — Anne O ' Connell commented that this is a good reason to
see how we are doing . Overall , the golf course is making more money .
Dave Valcourt commented that the commission has never decided a specific member number we are
looking to reach . He noted they should set a target number that will help with determining our revenue
numbers and will assist with the waiting list as well . Anne O ' Connell noted we should determine what
the membership mix should look like and not just the totals as well .
Jay Packet updated the total membership numbers
Resident Early — 256
Resident Morning — 190
Twilight — 66
Collegiate — 5
JR - 7
524 Total Resident Members
Non-Resident Early - 217
Non-Resident Twilight - 80
Non-Resident Collegiate — 1
Non-Resident Jr. — 2
Total Non-Resident Members — 300
Total Combined Members - 824
Jay Packett did note that membership numbers should increase in late April through May as people return
from Florida and other places , anticipates that we could reach the 1000 -member number by end of May .
Rob Harris asked if Jay Packett had a number on how many Brewster residents downgraded from the
Early to Morning category . Jay Packett did not have the number that was downgraded . Rob Harris noted
that for both Early Resident and Non-resident that the renewal rate is standing at about 68 % .
Update on Pavilion/Carpeting — Final inspection for the Pavilion and hallway area will be occurring this
Thursday coming up . The speaker system in the Pavilion needs to be professionally hooked up still and
other than that the Pavilion is back up and operational after the inspection. Jay gave a big thank you to
Tom Thatcher and Rob Campbell for their assistance with adjustment of the doors in the pavilion
building . The doors will no longer rub and ruin the new carpeting . New doors will be being installed in
the next year, however for now the carpet will not become damaged due to the old doors .
Freeman' s Grill opened on Thursday for Master' s Weekend . Currently The Freeman' s Grill hours are
Monday-Thursday 8 am to 4 pm and Friday through Sunday 8 am till 6 pm (Kitchen Hours) . However,
bar hours are flexible at this time based on business .
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With the installation of the new kitchen equipment, Captains had to install a gas interlock carbon-
monoxide detector. Essentially if carbon monoxide is detected outside the hood system it will shut off the
gas to the kitchen equipment . There were some issues with the sensitivity of the detector and being set
off consistently — an electrician has come by and adjusted the sensitivity of the detector and will be
monitored going forward .
Update on the Custodial/Maintenance Position — hiring is at a standstill . There have been two interviews
and placed a call back to one of the interviewees but have not heard back. Currently reaching out to other
candidates and re-posting the position . Until this position is filled it will fall upon the full-time
administrative staff at the course .
Jay Packett stated that the email to members noting that we will be going back to starter slips and no
single cart riders will be sent out shortly . Staff is aware that the change will be made and are prepared to
implement it .
Jay Packett noted that there was a lot of trim/woodwork done on the exterior of the Captains Course
Buildings and is visually in a much better place .
New Range balls will be delivered on Thursday and the crew will start working them into the range,
removing old white balls and implementing new yellow ones . New Push Carts will be arriving soon, and
Captains Golf Course is still in the process of procuring rental clubs .
Anne O ' Connell asked if there was anything we could do with the old range golf balls ?
Jay Packett noted the company that will be supplying the new range balls will possibly be buying the old
range balls . The process of selling the range balls is being worked out with Town Hall and they are
working to avoid throwing the old balls away to the landfill.
Acceptance of gift — A donation of a milling machine for the maintenance department from Dave
Valcourt ' s brother who owns a milling company . The machine would allow the maintenance department
to fabricate their own pieces and save the course money on hard-to-get parts .
Dave Valcourt noted that the machine is called a Bridgeport Machine and the capability it will give to
maintenance is immense . Maintenance building would need 220 power upgrades in order to use . Jeff
Odell moved to accept the gift and it was seconded by Andrea Johnson . Unanimously approved and will
be presented to the Select Board.
Jay Packett presented a Monday June 201 ' corporate event shotgun — 60 to 65 people at 1 pm — Jay Packett
recommended approval — Andrea Johnson moved to accept , and it was seconded by Wyn Morton .
Unanimously accepted.
Anne O ' Connell noted an email that was sent to the golf commission, and it stated that they thought we
needed to address the tee boxes . Anne O ' Connell noted that the tee boxes are on the long-term capital
plan and asked if they could provide more detail and no response has come to date .
Strategic Planning Updates (Commission)
Jeff Odell noted that the solar project is complete and online . Jay Packett noted that it is being worked
out as to how the town will be accepting the money from the program .
Jeff Odell noted the sink hole repair in the Port Parking lot and the Cart Barn sinkhole is on the plan for
this year . Jay Packett spoke with the DPW, and the parking lot sink hole will be handled by the DPW .
The Cart Barn area will be trickier to figure out as it is under the structure . Jay Packett will have an
update on the project in the next few weeks .
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Wyn Morton and Jay Packett will be meeting with a member tomorrow who could help with updating the
drone video on the website .
John Kissida noted him , and Andrea Johnson have made good progress on the forward tees and will let
her speak on that topic . As far as the pump station protection RFP , it is hung up with town hall and
waiting for a review by Griffin Ryder. Noted it is important that we keep on this RFP .
John Kissida spoke about the maintenance building study. John Kissida has received a preliminary
proposal and reviewed it with Colin Walsh, Jay Packett, Dave Valcourt and Rob David . The maintenance
project is much larger and more holistic than initially thought , with a replacement of the fueling facility
and chemical storage being involved . The study is important in determining budget and remaining within
that budget in order to avoid triggering an Owners Project Manager and further drive-up costs . John
Kissida is working a draft scope with the RFP and will hopefully have that out later this week . John
Kissida noted that timeline may be a bit behind what they would like as they will be waiting on a
consultant .
Dave Valcourt noted that we need to think about how to re-purpose the current facility to capitalize on
what we already have . The maintenance facility improvement is more than just the facility but our turf
operations . Dave Valcourt noted that him and Andrea Johnson worked on an email to speak about the no
shows and getting help from the membership .
There is a packet with information on the forward tee analysis available - Andrea Johnson and Anne
O 'Connell did 36 holes for scouting to see how close they wanted the forward tees . Once they determined
those distances John Kissida and Andrea Johnson did a scouting of locations for the tee boxes based on
those yardages . What is in the packet is the final proposal of distances and the locations of the tees .
There is a suggested 11 tees for Starboard and 13 tees for Port . The next step will be to talk to Colin
Walsh and Jay Packett, mark the potential locations , and have some test play to see if those locations
work, and make decisions on the final locations . John Kissida noted that it is important how we roll this
out to the public and making sure that people are playing the appropriate tees .
Colin Walsh asked if the forward tee program would be replacement tees or additional tees and was
looking for clarification . Anne O 'Connell noted that there was still work to be done in this regard, but
decisions still need to be made and will be completed in stages . She noted there will be a lot to consider
when prioritizing which tees to work with first . Dave Valcourt noted that when playing from multiple
tees within golfer groups there can be a negative impact on pace of play . John Kissida noted that the next
important step will be speaking with Colin Walsh based on what they have determined .
Superintendent' s Update :
Colin Walsh noted that aeration has been going on for the last couple of weeks . The crew mainly had
great weather for the process all except for the last day. There are a few details to clean up due to the wet
weather. Colin Walsh gave a big kudos to the entire maintenance crew . To get 36 holes aerated with
minimal overtime in the amount of time it took is very impressive and again a big credit to the crew at
Captains Course . Colin noted he would love a mid-May aeration date as it would heal quicker but
understands the April date and why they do it . With that said he noted that due to the lower temperatures
there will be holes in the greens for at least 4 weeks to come . They will be rolling, top dressing and verti-
cutting the greens to get them to heal up faster. However, it is all dependent on soil temperatures and
Brewster's have been lower for the season . The 5 am start for the maintenance crew will begin next week.
Colin Walsh is working on getting quotes for a backhoe and razor level . They are continuing work on
sink holes and sod work on bunkers around the courses and things are coming together.
Follow-up Signage Updates (John Kissida)
There are photos available in the meeting packet - John Kissida reviewed the signs around the Captains
Course property . He noted when talking about the signs we need to decide what we are trying to restrict .
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A lot of the signs need to be updated in general as many have been there for 20 plus years . John Kissida
noted we need to determine what liability we have and what the proper signage would need to be . They
need to be more consistent throughout the property and keep Freeman's Grill in mind . Bill Meehan
thanked John Kissida for his work on this and for the commission ' s attention to this matter as it will be
important moving forward for not just the golf course but the town .
Follow-up Capital Plan (A. O ' Connell)
Anne O'Connell stated the steps she sees for continuing the forward tee project and will ask Sarah
Robinson and Donna Potts for members of their associations who might be interested in
helping/reviewing this project .
Anne O 'Connell noted the approval of funds for the Pump House Protection and that she will also follow
up with town administration as well .
Anne O 'Connell noted that the $ 100 ,000 driving range/practice area budget needs to be started to visit and
recommended Jeff Odell start bring that project along . Jeff Odell noted himself, Steve Knowles and Pat
Fannon had met and spoke about the needs of the facility and teaching needs and that is in process . Anne
O 'Connell noted that the $ 100 ,000 needed to be given "price tags " . Jeff Odell noted that once able to
meet with Colin Walsh, Jay Packett , Steve Knowles , and Pat Fannon again that will be taken care of.
Anne O 'Connell noted that as well as looking at what the signs around the course say also need to look at
the state of the signs themselves . She also noted that she had received an email noting the poor state of
the bathroom doors for the Port Course Bathrooms at the turn. The doors may fall under this category as
there is not a custodial/maintenance employee being hired soon . John Kissida noted that in the clubhouse
surrounds the first target was the starter shack area and that included cart paths and signage related to this
area but that it also included The Captains theme . Anne O 'Connell suggested that there be a list started
for projects we want completed for FY2023 . John Kissida noted that for cart paths we needed to
prioritize the areas that need it most and what will it cost for the repair work now? What will be the parts
pushed to another time and coordinated with the irrigation and determining if the cart paths around the
starter shed be included in the first stages of this project .
Colin Walsh stated that won the bid for asphalt and in order to determine the cost we need to find the
square footage of the area we would be re-doing . 1 ton of asphalt will cost 115 per ton and a ton at 2
inches thick will cover about 80 sq feet . Once we figure those numbers our Colin Walsh was feeling
optimistic that they would be able to improve a good area of the cart paths .
Anne O 'Connell stated to make sure to be aware of open meeting law as we work on these projects .
Colin Walsh noted that there is an OSHA training tomorrow with Griffin from DPW . Colin Walsh was
hoping to have an update on the Pump House after seeing Griffin tomorrow .
John Kissida asked if there was any updated on the hydration station on Starboard?
Jay Packet noted that the project should be up and running in about 2 weeks and then they will look to see
the location for the Port drinking station .
Questions and Comments from Associations and Liaisons
No questions or comments .
Review and approve minutes
• 3/8 - Motion for approval by John Kissida , seconded by Wyn Morton - Unanimously approved .
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• 3/22 - Motion for approval by John Kissida, seconded by Andrea Johnson - Unanimously
approved.
Future Agenda Items and Meetings (4/26, 5/10, 5/31) :
Anne O 'Connell noted that the second commission meeting fell on town election day so we would be
unable to meet on the 5/24 and the 5/31 meeting is the day after a holiday . Anne O 'Connell wanted to
bring that to everyone's attention and a decision does not have to be made at this time .
Matters not anticipated by the Chair :
None .
A motion to adjourn was made by John Kissida seconded by Andrea Johnson, to adjourn the
meeting. Motion passed unanimously. The Meeting was adjourned at 5 : 30 pm .
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