A groundbreaking ceremony for the project at the Ringoes, N.J., property was held on May 4, replacing trailers that been on the course since it opened in 2002. The project is expected to be complete by the end of this year with a grand opening in early 2018, and the course will remain open during construction.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 4 at the public Heron Glen Golf Course in Ringoes, N.J., marking the start of construction of a $2.1 million clubhouse, NJ.com reported.
The Hunterdon County Freeholders approved a contract on April 18 to build the clubhouse, replacing trailers that have been on the course since it opened in 2002. The total cost of the project is budgeted at $2.5 million. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of the year, said General Manager Tim Ward, with a grand opening in early 2018, NJ.com reported.
“We are finally here,” Freeholder Director John Lanza told the crowd of some 70 attending the groundbreaking. “It’s been some time.”
The freeholders, in 2007, voted to spend up to $2.3 million on a clubhouse, a decision that was reversed by the board in January of 2008 after the project faced opposition. It was back up for discussion in 2015, when the freeholders voted 4-1 to move ahead with developing plans for the clubhouse, NJ.com reported.
“Heron Glen, beyond being an outstanding golf course, is a positive revenue producing facility for the county’s taxpayers,” Lanza said. “This is sound business judgement. By building this beautiful building and replacing these eyesores – otherwise known as the trailers that are falling apart—we are going to be increasing the productivity of the golf course.”
The course, managed by KemperSports, generates $300,000 in income to the county each year, Lanza said. He cited a 2007 Golf Resource Associates, Inc., study that projected that income could rise to $450,000 with the construction of a permanent clubhouse, NJ.com reported.
“This golf course has made the county taxpayers money,” Lanza said. “This has directly come from you, the people who use this facility. You are the people supporting your own facility.”
The course and its buildings will be open during construction, Ward said.
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