Under the draft proposal, the city, county and state would collectively spend up to $6.5 million to purchase the development rights for the 120-acre golf course, ensuring that the property remains open space as well as helping the club pay down debt and make facility improvements. The plan will be discussed publicly on March 28.

A coalition of community members, led by former mayor Vance A. Funk III, is quietly lobbying support for a government bailout of the struggling Newark (Del.) Country Club, the Elkton, Md.-based Newark Post reported.

Under the draft proposal, the city, county and state would collectively spend up to $6.5 million to purchase the development rights for the 120-acre golf course, ensuring that the property remains open space as well as helping the club pay down debt and make facility improvements, the Post reported.

“The practical matter is that unless they get substantial help, it will fall by the wayside like most country clubs,” Funk said.

C&RB reported last year on the city’s rejection of a plan that would limit zoning at the property.

The plan will be discussed publicly for the first time on March 28 when city council weighs a proposal to survey residents to determine their interest in spending tax dollars to preserve the club. If council signs off, the city will most likely use a low-cost online tool, such as the popular website SurveyMonkey, to conduct the unscientific study, the Post reported.

The survey would be non-binding but would give council members a window into public opinion as they consider whether to move forward on the proposal, City Manager Carol Houck said. The purchase of development rights would likely require a bond referendum, in which the city holds a formal balloting process to ask residents for permission to take on debt, the Post reported.

Funk said the club will seek $3 million from both the city and state as well as $500,000 from New Castle County. Other officials involved with the club and the working group said the exact numbers remain to be determined, the Post reported.

The plan marks the latest chapter in a long-simmering debate over the future of the club, which in 2008 planned to sell the property to a developer and move to Fair Hill, Md. City council approved a 270-unit housing development for the site, but it was never built. Last year, amid renewed rumors of the club moving, council considered and ultimately rejected a rare city-initiated downzoning of the site, the Post reported.

In December, club members overwhelmingly voted to stay in Newark and abandon any plans to sell the property. In February, club leaders announced an initiative to renovate the clubhouse and make other upgrades. At a March 1 event celebrating the club’s 95th anniversary, General Manager Laura DelPercio heralded the renovations as a “fresh start,” the Post reported.

“Our roots are here, and we plan to continue to grow,” DelPercio said.

However, despite the optimism, the club remains in financial difficulty. According to Funk, who says he has examined some of the club’s financial documents, the club is approximately $2 million in debt. Members have faced several assessments to help keep the club open and pay down debt. Dennis Barba, president of the club’s board of directors, confirmed the debt figures provided by Funk are “in the vicinity,” the Post reported.

The club also owes the city $55,235 in back taxes, according to city spokeswoman Kelly Bachman, who said the club has agreed to a payment plan that starts this month. Funk said a working group made up of club members, representatives of conservationist groups and other community leaders began meeting last fall to discuss a way to save the club. The group then approached Barba about the possibility of selling the development rights, the Post reported.

Barba said the club supports the idea. “We’re looking at every possible alternative,” he said. “Our membership wants this place to stay here.”

Under the deal, the club would retain ownership of the property and continue to operate the golf course but would agree not to develop the land. Houck added that if the club closes, “the Newark community would control the future development rights,” the Post reported.

In addition, the club would take steps to make the property more accessible to the community. Barba said those steps have yet to be defined, but “we know there will be a trade-off.”

According to Funk, some of the possibilities include allowing the city to build a trail from the George Wilson Center to West Main Street, allowing the public to use part of the grounds as a walking trail while the club is closed and allowing non-members to eat at the club’s restaurant on certain days of the week, the Post reported.

Mayor Polly Sierer said that many people she talks to say they want to see the country club remain open space. “It will be interesting when push comes to shove, are they willing to pay for that to continue to happen?” Sierer said, noting that she supports the survey.

She added that council needs to do strategic planning and determine what its priorities are. The city is already considering going to referendum later this year to buy the University of Delaware’s Rodney dorm property for use as a stormwater pond, the Post reported.

State Rep. Paul Baumbach, who has been involved with the working group since September, contends that any solution to the club issue has to include significant involvement from the city. “It has to be a city-led initiative,” he said.

Baumbach said he is unsure what kind of support, if any, the proposal will have at the state level. “We need to do our best to bring dollars to the table,” he said.

He believes he can make a case to use state funds to help secure the development rights, noting that most open space and farmland preservation funding has historically been focused in Kent and Sussex counties. “That isn’t terribly fair,” he said. “I think we can make a pretty good pitch.”

County officials declined to comment in-depth on the issue. “We understand some informal discussion has gotten underway but do not have enough information to comment,” County Executive Thomas Gordon said in a statement. “However, we support preservation of open space and wish all those involved with Newark Country Club the best with this effort.”