HomeMy Public PortalAboutGolf Commission -- 2022-06-28 MinutesF CO HPOft
19.
TOWN OF BREWSTER
Brewster, Massachusetts 02631
(508) 896-3701
GOLF COMMISSION
Minutes of June 28th, 2022
Commissioners Present: Acme O'Connell (Chair), Andrea Johnson (Vice -Chair), Rob David, John
(issida, Wyn Morton, Jeff Odell and David Valcourt,
Others Present: Jay Packett (Director of Operations), Colin Walsh (Superintendent,) Rob Harris
(CCMGA), Donna Potts (9 -Hole Women's Assn), Sarah Robinson (18 -Hole Women's Assn), and Bill
Meehan (Liaison to the Finance Committee).
THIS MEETING WAS HELD REMOTELY WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDED, The meeting
may be viewed at: littl)s•//reflect-brewster-ma cabiecist.ly/CablecastPublieSite/show/6080?channel=l
Anne O'Connell called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm after reading remote meeting guidelines and
procedures.
Declaration of a Quorum -Seven Golf Commissioners present and accounted for which constitutes a
quorum,
Public Comment - Noue
Jay Packett -quick update on the Friends of Captains -The putting contest put on by the Friends was a
very successful event with 32 attendees and 12 no shows -there was rain right before the event but
cleared just before. An 8 -hole mini golf course was built by Pat Fannon and Jon Mohan. Richard Klein
won an opportunity to putt for $5000 which he nearly holed. Glenda and Kelly were 2nd and 3rd place
and all received Freeman's Grill Gift Certificates. A big thank you to Andrea Johnson for monitoring the
$5000 putt as a PGA Member. Next event is called "Home on the Range" and takes place on July 23rd
from 3-5 pm at the driving range with a BBQ, games, and tips from the pros. Hopefully a Callaway fitter
will be there as well - there is a Callaway demo day earlier and negotiating getting them to stay longer.
Volunteers needed are needed for help with games and you can sign up as a volunteer on the Friends
website. Lastly, to look out for the Friends newsletter coming up recognizing long standing members of
the Captains Course. Jay Packett thanked Colin Walsh and the unseen workers at the course - big thanks
to them.
Course Operations Questions and Concerns -Water on the Course -Jay Packett -Wanted to clear up
that no water on the course is not Covid related. On June 21st, 2021, there was a meeting between the
Health Department, Town Administration, The Water Department and Jay Packett to determine whether
D
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Commissioners Present: Acme O'Connell (Chair), Andrea Johnson (Vice -Chair), Rob David, John
(issida, Wyn Morton, Jeff Odell and David Valcourt,
Others Present: Jay Packett (Director of Operations), Colin Walsh (Superintendent,) Rob Harris
(CCMGA), Donna Potts (9 -Hole Women's Assn), Sarah Robinson (18 -Hole Women's Assn), and Bill
Meehan (Liaison to the Finance Committee).
THIS MEETING WAS HELD REMOTELY WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDED, The meeting
may be viewed at: littl)s•//reflect-brewster-ma cabiecist.ly/CablecastPublieSite/show/6080?channel=l
Anne O'Connell called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm after reading remote meeting guidelines and
procedures.
Declaration of a Quorum -Seven Golf Commissioners present and accounted for which constitutes a
quorum,
Public Comment - Noue
Jay Packett -quick update on the Friends of Captains -The putting contest put on by the Friends was a
very successful event with 32 attendees and 12 no shows -there was rain right before the event but
cleared just before. An 8 -hole mini golf course was built by Pat Fannon and Jon Mohan. Richard Klein
won an opportunity to putt for $5000 which he nearly holed. Glenda and Kelly were 2nd and 3rd place
and all received Freeman's Grill Gift Certificates. A big thank you to Andrea Johnson for monitoring the
$5000 putt as a PGA Member. Next event is called "Home on the Range" and takes place on July 23rd
from 3-5 pm at the driving range with a BBQ, games, and tips from the pros. Hopefully a Callaway fitter
will be there as well - there is a Callaway demo day earlier and negotiating getting them to stay longer.
Volunteers needed are needed for help with games and you can sign up as a volunteer on the Friends
website. Lastly, to look out for the Friends newsletter coming up recognizing long standing members of
the Captains Course. Jay Packett thanked Colin Walsh and the unseen workers at the course - big thanks
to them.
Course Operations Questions and Concerns -Water on the Course -Jay Packett -Wanted to clear up
that no water on the course is not Covid related. On June 21st, 2021, there was a meeting between the
Health Department, Town Administration, The Water Department and Jay Packett to determine whether
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to put water back out on the golf course. There was a consensus decision not to place water jugs back on
the golf course due to sanitation issues. Additional issues for the course are the continual refilling process
is timely and a big strain for the older staff, Jay Packett went on to discuss the topic and the issues in the
past. He noted any recommendations are welcome and will be reported back to the others who helped
make this decision tomorrow. There is no set meeting to reopen discussion on this topic but if based on
this discussion and the recommendations found here it does warrant one then there could be a possibility
of that.
Sarah Robinson -Thanked Jay for his time - understands the situation's difficulties but personally thinks it
is dangerous but believes the situation does need further addressing. Not saying the old solution is the
best but that there needs to be something. Sarah Robinson was happy to volunteer her time to help.
Jay Packet -noted Sarah's comments and thanked her for speaking on the matter. Jay Packet wanted to
clear up that it was not solely a Health Department Decision but rather one by all the departments that met
back on June 21st, 2021 (Golf, Water, Health, and Town Administration). Jay Packett apologized for any
confusion and any inconvenience he may have caused to the Health Department.
Status of 2nd Hydration Station - 2 water stations had been ordered through Pittsburgh Water Cooler
Service Stations. 1 for the Dog Park and one for the Golf Course, this brought the spending threshold for
this company over the $10,000 spending limit in municipal finance for one individual vendor for fiscal
year 2022. On July 1 st, the first day of fiscal year 2023 the 2nd filling station will be ordered and will
take about 30 days to arrive. The Captains Course will be ready for installation upon delivery.
Anne O'Connell recommended water for the turn at Port - only as a short-term measure until the water
station can be installed.
Jeff O'Dell - asked about the water bubbler that used to be at Port - Jay Packett noted that has been
unserviceable for several years. He also noted that it will take a little time to get something set up on the
Port turn - bladders would have to be ordered. So, it is a possibility, and he will have to speak with Colin
Walsh.
Wyn Morton - asked if we could do complimentary water on a short-term basis at the term of Port - Jay
Packett noted that this may not be in the budget and could be taken advantage of by people just using the
putting green and facilities.
Anne O'Connell noted that a short-term solution was needed prior to the 2nd hydration station and Jay
Packett agreed. Dave Valcourt wanted to make sure the town is not held liable for heat/hydration issues.
A1so do we have a plan for when they do happen as well.
Rob Harris - Stated that it's not just an issue with a few, it is many members that are concerned about no
water on the course. 100% of the CCMGA would like water on the course.
Bill Meehan -Stated he believes it's within the power of the Selectboard to issue a waiver on the plastic
bottled water ban. He doesn't know if the availability of plastic bottles is the solution but could help in
the short term. Anne O'Connell stated she thought it was a Town Administration decision but was unsure.
John Kissida noted that this has been a long talked about issue and the hydration station procurement
should be able to be sped up as it is an emergency service for the course. Should be about procurement
not payment.
Update to Meeting Format (Anne O'Connell) -Effective July 26th -Golf Commission will be meeting
in Room A at Town Hall. See attached form for further details. There maybe an extension to remote
meeting rules but so far nothing has happened.
Discussion on Website Member Calendar -Anne O'Connell
noted itis not complete and does not
include several major tournaments and is inaccurate. She wanted to have a discussion on what
information this calendar should be providing to members. Discussion followed. It was determined that
Jon Mohan will be handling the updating of the Calendar going forward. Jay Packett apologized for the
status of the Captains Golf Course Calendar and will work going forward towards remedying the calendar
N
onsidering all that was discussed today.
Update to Membership Numbers - Jay Packet stated the Captains Golf Course currently has 1124
members compared to last year's total of 1265. There have been 15 new members added since the last
Golf Commission meeting. Will be discussing what we want to do with membership numbers for 2023 in
late summer/early fall.
Capital Improvement Plan Update -See packet for spreadsheet -Equipment replacement is not fully
expended though it says it is. This is due to supply chain issues. The product has been ordered but this is
the dollar amount that has been spent so far it just has not been paid out. Colin Walsh stated that the
equipment will be delivered between September all the way through January now. Equipment included
in the budget were sidewinder mower, tractor with backhoe attachment, two aerators, triflex mower,
rough mower, and a laser level box blade. Dave Valcourt asked for a refresher on what happens to the
balance unspent or under purchase agreement at the end of the fiscal year? Jay Packet stated it is his
understanding that the Captains Golf Course will not lose this money even though it is not spent within
this fiscal year. Anne O'Connell asked if any items on the list are fully completed and what happens with
any left -over money? Rob Harris commented that once money is appropriated at Town Meeting it is then
deemed encumbered and that money is in an account, and you can spend it at any time for the purposes
that were voted on at Town Meeting. If you have a remaining balance that you will not ever use, you can
use that to fund a future Town Meeting Appropriation or simply have a vote to unencumber that money
back into the Golf Fund at that point. Bill Meehan confirmed that if the items are in the Capital Plan, then
those monies are not going to go away. In normal day to day operations - if funds for these are not used,
they typically find their way back into Town Funds. Colin Walsh noted that the remaining tree work
balance of $18,512 will go to future grinding and contracted tree services the maintenance crew can't
handle on their own.
Maintenance Building Study RFQ -Jay Packett noted it is being reviewed and refined as there were no
takers. It has not been resubmitted as of this point.
Sinkhole Repair -Jay Packett has had talks with the DPW as reported before. At this point anything
sinkhole related in the cart barn and parking lot will be in the Fall to early winter.
HVAC System -Jay Packett stated Rise Engineering did what should be a final walk through
this past
Friday. A final report from Rise Engineering is expected in the next week or so and then we can send the
project out to bid.
Clubhouse Windows and Doors -Jay Packet stated what has been spent is purely on architectural
designs and you will see a big portion of that being spend in the winter o f202.3 All the windows and
doors in the restaurant and the pavilion as well as the 3 main doors to the pro shop will be replaced during
winter of 2023 - the pro shop widows will be done the following winter 2024.
Restaurant Equipment -Jay Packett stated Freemans Grill has received/all equipment they requested is
up and running. There is still a small balance left that may allow Sean to make further upgrades -Sean
was able to source all the pieces of equipment from one company and a big cost savings - leaving a
balance to use to further improve the restaurant. Big thanks to Sean for helping with that
Rental Clubs and Push Carts -The money spent so far is only for push carts. 30 new push cart
s have
been received. The hold up on this is the availability of rental sets and we are continuing to shop for
rental club options that will be available.
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Range Balls and Equipment - Jay Packett stated the $9000 spent was for the new range balls. The
remaining $11,000 in the next fiscal year will go towards more back up range balls, as well as new bag
stands, divot boxes and a new picker portion of the driving range machine.
Jay Packett stated that the Captains Golf Course is at 48% used of the Capital Improvement Budget.
Colin Walsh stated for the Water Diversion/Purnp House Protection they have been in contact with Mark
Nelson of Horsley -Whitten and they are considering that project now.
Jeff O'Dell noted that we should look at improving the "self-made" path by the patrons on the far side of
the range. Look to see what line that would be included in for future discussion.
Anne O'Connell noted that during in person meetings in the future there will be no cut off for meeting
time length. She also stated that they need to figure out how to manage this topic of spending and being
able to spend the money and evaluate what is accomplishable due to the seasonality of the business and
other outside factors.
Brief Update on League Memberships (Anne O'Connell) - 32 people took advantage of being able to
play in League Play with the Morning Membership. Anne O'Connell stated she thought that this was a
success and should be kept moving forward. Rob Harris stated it was a smaller number than he
anticipated taking advantage of the Morning membership. Anne O'Connell and Jay Packett thanked Jon
Mohan for his work on the membership information.
Future Agenda Items and meetings (7/12 Zoom; 7/26 Town Hall Room A) -
Matters not anticipated by the Chair:
Anne O'Connell - brought up about music on the course -There was a group that would not adhere to a
ranger's requests to turn the music down out on the course. It was a newer ranger and the pro shop staff
was not notified in due time -there will be training to make sure that the Manager on Duty will be notified
that for future situations that require assistance, i.e., after the 2nd request for music to be turned down and
not adhering, management will be brought in to handle the situation.
Questions and Comments from Associations and Liaisons: Rob Harris - CCMGA is continuing to see
extraordinary levels of play. They have had to develop new policies to deal with what to do with people
being cut. You will only be cut once until everyone has been cut once. Very happy that everyone appears
to be enjoying the events.
A motion to adjourn was made by Jeff O'Dell, seconded by John Kissida, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion passed unanimously. The Meeting was adjourned at 5:30 pm.