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TOWN OF BREWSTER
Brewster, Massachusetts 02631
(508) 896-3701
GOLF COMMISSION
Minutes of December 13th, 2022
Commissioners Present: Anne O'Connell (Chair), Andrea Johnson (Vice -Chair), Rob David, John
Kissida, Wyn Morton, and David Valcourt.
Others Present: Jay Packett (Director of Operations), Colin Walsh (Superintendent,), Rob Harris
(CCMGA) Susan Olin (Women's 9 Hole Association), Peggy McEvoy (Friend's of Captains), Bill
Meehan (Liaison to Finance Committee), Mimi Bernardo (Finance Team), Donna Kalinick (Finance
Team) Peter Lombardi (Town Administrator)
THIS MEETING WAS HELD REMOTELY WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDED. The meeting
may be viewed at: https://reflect-brewster-ma cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/6294?channel=1
Anne O'Connell called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm after reading remote meeting guidelines and
procedures.
Declaration of a Quorum —Six Golf Commissioners
present and accounted for which constitutes a
quorum.
Public Comment — No Public Comment.
Revised Financial Forecast Presentation (Mimi Bernardo, Donna Kalinick, Jay Packett) -Anne
O'Connell thanked , Donna and Jay for revising the numbers so quickly. Donna Kalinick began by
reviewing the slides that have been added to the previous presentation. Donna Kalinick began on slide 15
titled Revisions to the Financial Forecast (Please see meeting packet). Key discussion points listed
below:
The revised financial forecast was presented, which takes into account a request from the golf
commission to assume 2% revenue increases in FY25 and beyond.
The revenues were calculated by averaging the actuals of FY21 and FY22 at 98% for the FY24 baseline
revenue assumptions.
Donna Kalinick discussed the decision points of setting the rates for 2022 and 2023, and projecting the
expected rate increases over a five-year period.
The possibility of a new project manager procurement position was also discussed, which would represent
$100,000 in salary and benefits.
Donna discussed the need to update the capital plan to reflect actual debt payments and to plan for future
capital expenses.
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The forecast shows a decrease in revenue projections if the 2% increase is assumed, leading to a larger
deficit in the out years, specifically in FY27 and FY28.
Highlighted was that while the forecast includes proposed debt payments, it does not account for the other
capital expenses of approximately $300,000 that are currently being paid for out of the golf department's
reservesI
Following Donna Kalincik, Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator, spoke on the topic. He discussed the
need for a sustainable business model for the golf course, with the goal of having revenues closely match
expenses. Peter Lombardi presented the possibility of increasing revenue through membership and green
fee rate increases, with a minimum expectation of 5% annual rate increases in order to have a sustainable
budget. He acknowledged the challenges in forecasting and the need to rely on more data, particularly
three years of actuals, to make more accurate projections. They also discussed the need to update the
capital plan to reflect actual debt payments and to plan for future capital expenses. The presenters
highlighted the potential challenges in FY27 and beyond, particularly with the major debt payments that
are expected to come due in those years. They emphasized the need to revisit the forecast and rate
increases annually, in order to make informed decisions based on current data. Discussion Followed.
Discussion and possible vote on Golf Season 2023 Rates —Anne O'Connell noted that people needed to
see the resulting financial impact of various rate increases and Jay Packett spoke on this topic. He
discussed the need for a sustainable business model for the golf course through an increase in membership
and green fee rates. Jay presented a snapshot of where the golf course was in FY22 and the potential
impact of different rate increase scenarios on revenue, and also provided monthly projections for different
rate increase scenarios, ranging from 2% to 5%. Jay Packett emphasized the need to consider the 2022
rate increase and the potential for future rate increases of 5% to 7% in the next five fiscal years in order to
maintain a sustainable budget. He acknowledged that the decisions should be based on more data and that
the decision points for this year's rate increase should be discussed. Anne O'Connell clarified that they
will be taking 25 people from the Non-resident waiting list regardless of what membership category they
choose. Discussion followed.
A motion was made by Dave Valcourt to raise annual fee player rates by 4%, it was later amended to state
that the increase would not be applied to Junior or Collegiate membership rates. The Motion was
seconded by Andrea Johnson and passed with vote of 5 to 1.
A motion was made by Dave Valcourt
to raise daily fee players greens fee rates by 4% -Seconded by
Andrea Johnson and the motion passed unanimously. - It was noted that these increases would not affect
the jr. or collegiate greens fee rates.
Donna Kalinick and Peter Lombardi quickly discussed the plan to present the financial forecast to the
Select Board, including the additional analysis that was done during the meeting. They acknowledged the
need to update the forecast annually and to select a single revenue assumption as the basis for future
forecasts. They discussed the possibility of including the full forecast document in the Select Board
packet and recommended a 4% rate increase with the exception of juniors, adding 25 new non-resident
memberships and keeping the same tee time allocation.
Update FY23 HVAC Project
Jay Packett and Donna Kalinick updated the Golf Commission on the project as Jeff Odell was
unavailable to speak. They noted the project manager was confident that the project could be completed
in two phases and equipment is expected to start to arrive on site at the beginning of next week. There
will be a pre -construction meeting held with all parties involved to ensure that everyone is on the same
page. The project manager has family ties to Captain's Golf Course which is hoped to be beneficial for the
project.
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Superintendent's Report -
Colin Walsh spoke on the upcoming maintenance plans for the golf course, including greens aeration,
drainage projects, leaf cleanup, etc. He noted that the staff is getting along well and that they had a
successful season. Laurie Kennedy and Horsley Witten visited the golf course to check out the pump
protection project. They were on site to assess the current state of the pump protection project and to
provide input on how to improve it, specifically looking at ways to manage the water flow in the area to
prevent flooding. Laurie Kennedy is expected to provide a report on her findings in the spring, which the
golf course staff will use to make any necessary adjustments to the project. There are several drainage
projects going on on the golf course, particularly on hole number 8 on the starboard side in front of the
green, where there is a wet area. They have addressed this issue by trenching 500 feet of sand and stone to
try and drain the area. There are also a few other minor drainage projects planned for holes 18, 10, and 13
on the starboard side. Additionally, it was mentioned that they have applied snow mold protection to the
greens to prevent pink and gray snow mold, which can be damaging to the greens during the winter. This
is a preventative measure to ensure the greens are protected through the spring. Colin also mentioned that
there is interest from architectural and engineering firms for the maintenance building project and that
they are looking into purchasing GPS spray rigs.
Director's Report
Jay Packett reported on the overall budget status through the month of November, which shows that 46%
of the budget has been spent, compared to 45% at this point last year. He also mentions that wages were
higher than usual due to the busy season, and that the professional technical and alarm line items have
exceeded the allotted budget. He noted this is not a major issue. He also reported on the monthly
comparison report, which shows that revenues were lower than in previous years, due to inclement
weather and lower profits fiom the driving range and pro shop. However, for the calendar year of 2022,
revenues were $600,000 higher than in 2021. He also reported on the fiscal year bottom line numbers,
which show a $143,000 increase fiom the previous fiscal year, and that play totals for the month of
November were lower than the previous two years, but with the exception of the last two years it is still
the highest since they have started operating two golf courses.
Course Operations Questions and Concerns
Jay Packett announced that a longtime employee, Vince Scales, who worked at the starter shed and
driving range at the golf course, passed away last Friday after having a stroke. A 2:) of his friends from
his tennis group would like to install a memorial bench in his honor, and the commission is being asked
for their approval to include the proposal in the Select Board's consent agenda for their meeting on
Monday. Rob David moved to approve Jay Packett's request and it was unanimously approved. Jay
Packett also noted Vince's services are this coming Sunday, the 18th at Nickerson funeral home on
Eldridge Parkway in Orleans, from one to three with a celebration of life directly after that at hog Island,
right across the street. In another somber note, Jay Packett mentioned that Steve Knowles's father also
passed away and the commission wants to extend their condolences to him and his family.
Other Strategic Planning Updates (Commission)
No updates at this time.
Questions and Comments from Associations and Liaisons -
Rob Hanis commented that he sent a summary of the meeting to the members of CCMGA and asked for
their comments. He received a lot of comments, but the main takeaways were that members want to know
what is happening at the golf course and want to hear it from the golf course management directly. They
are interested in knowing about capital improvements and projects, how much money has been spent and
when they can expect to see results. Additionally, there is a perception among members that tee times are
going unused because people are not showing up, which is a big concern for the CCMGA membership.
Rob Harris suggested that addressing these issues in the coming weeks would go a long way towards the
golf course mission and help justify the need for rate increases. Dave Valcourt noted if other
commissioners could push information toward him he will work to assemble a message with Anne to
send out to the membership.
Review and Approve 11/1, 11/15, 11/29 Minutes -
All minutes approved with amendments - Motion to approve made by John Kissida and Seconded by
Andrea Johnson - Unanimously approved.
Future Agenda Items and meetings (1/3) -
Anne O'Connell noted the meeting on December 27th was canceled and the meeting on January 10th had
to be moved due to the election to January 3rd.
Matters not anticipated by the Chair:
None.
A motion to adjourn was made by Rob David, seconded by John Kissida, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion passed unanimously. The Meeting was adjourned at 5:35 pm.