The Bibb Administration deemed the Highland Park Golf Foundation and its partnership with Troon Golf to be the best, most qualified proposal to come from the city’s recent request for proposals. The contract also gives the city additional leverage to terminate the agreement if the foundation and Troon Golf fail to meet certain criteria. However, the agreement was amended to 20 years with two, five-year options. Some city council members initially balked at the length of the original ground lease agreement which spanned 30 years. The city’s general fund had to cover the estimated $600,000 loss, according to city financial statements. In 2022, the course required $1.3 million to operate while only drawing in $700,000 in revenue. In each of the past five years, the city’s general fund has had to cover financial shortfalls at the course, prompting a long simmering debate over whether the city should cede control of the course. The $1.5 million in “seed money” is right in line with the amount paid by the city in recent years to help offset financial losses at the course. If and when the golf course turns a profit, the excess revenues would first go to reimburse the city’s $250,000 annual outlay. Additionally, the city would contribute up to $1.5 million over the first five years of the contract to help fund capital improvements at the course, including the construction of a revenue-generating driving range later this year. The foundation, in turn, would pay Troon $66,000 annually to handle the daily operations of the course. As part of the agreement, the city would contribute $250,000 annually to the non-profit Highland Park Golf Foundation. The Council’s Municipal Services and Properties Committee as well as the Finance, Diversity and Inclusion Committee approved the legislation on Monday. Troon, an Arizona-based company that manages 140 municipal courses across the country, would handle day-to-day operations at Highland. Under the legislation, a newly-created non-profit of local business leaders, frequent Highland golfers and golf-industry experts would assume management of the nearly century-old course. CLEVELAND - Two Cleveland City Council committees approved legislation on Monday that would hand over management of the historic, city-owned Highland Park Golf Course located in suburban Highland Hills.
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