National Golf Management, owner of the Myrtle Beach, S.C., club, decided to remove the community swimming pool, claiming it would cost $50,000 to fix and “it was a better use of the club’s dollars to invest in the golf course and facilities instead of the pool.” Some residents are concerned that the move will disrupt the neighborhood’s sense of community.
Residents of Litchfield Country Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., are upset over a decision by the club’s owner, National Golf Management, to remove their community swimming pool, the Pawleys Island (S.C.) Coastal Observer reported.
Equipment is in place to begin demolishing the concrete pool and deck early next week, the Observer reported.
“There’s nothing we can do,” said Amanda Keith, a member of the Litchfield Country Club Property Owners Association. “It’s part of a bigger plan. They said the pool was not bringing in enough money and needed repair, so they’re scrapping it. Everybody is concerned about property values and the disconnect between the country club and members.”
Fred Vegliante, President of the club POA, said the pool is a big part of summer recreation for families with children. “They claimed it would cost about $50,000 to fix.”
Keith, who bought a house in the neighborhood with her husband, Wil, and two young children, previously paid a yearly fee to swim at the pool, but it wasn’t collected this year. “This neighborhood is more of a community with the pool and the country club,” she said.
Steve Mays, vice president of marketing and sales for National Golf Management, said too few members used the pool to justify the repairs, the Observer reported.
“The facility was in need of major repair and renovation, even to open this year,” Mays said. “National Golf Management determined it was better use of the club’s dollars to invest in the golf course and facilities instead of the pool. What it came down to was that we wanted to make sure we were investing where the majority of the members were spending their time.”
The move comes at a time when some are concerned about plans to shift the club entrance south on Highway 17 to Litchfield Village, where there is a traffic light. Residents say losing the landscaped entrance would harm community identity, the Observer reported.
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