The project at the town-owned course is being partially funded with a no-interest loan from taxpayers. Brendan Schain, former president of the club Board of Governors, says the pro shop project would cost roughly $750,000. Of that, the town will loan $300,000 to the club for the project, at zero percent interest, to be paid back over the next 12 years.
The Manchester (Conn.) Country Club is undergoing a number of facility changes, including the razing and replacement of its pro shop, the Journal Inquirer reported. The project at the town-owned course is being partially funded with a no-interest loan from taxpayers.
Brendan Schain, former president of the club Board of Governors, said the pro shop project would cost roughly $750,000, the Journal Inquirer reported. Of that, the town will loan $300,000 to the club for the project, at zero percent interest, to be paid back over the next 12 years.
The Board of Directors unanimously approved the loan at its Nov. 1 meeting, alongside an amendment to its lease with Manchester Country Club that outlines repayment, the Journal Inquirer reported.
Manchester Country Club LLC, a private company, is contracted by the town to run the town-owned country club and golf course, the Journal Inquirer reported. The company’s current lease agreement was executed in November 2010.
Town Manager Steven Stephanou said that while the town owns the property, operation and maintenance of the greens and buildings is leased to the private entity, the Journal Inquirer reported. As a result, the private club does not have to follow the same procedures as the town for procurement of services, such as issuing a request for proposals for construction services for the pro-shop project.
Schain said the town originally issued a request for proposals for management of the property, with a contract granted to Manchester Country Club LLC, the Journal Inquirer reported.
“As the tenant, we have rights, and this is our project,” Schain said.
Schain said the country club appoints its Board of Governors, not the town, but the town has its own five-member Golf Course Oversight Committee that consists of three residents and two town staff, the Journal Inquirer reported. He said the lease agreement between the country club and the town requires the company to make certain improvements to the property, and allows it to make additional improvements as desired.
Schain said the country club is not seeking any additional funds from the town, and the $300,000 loan will be repaid in full over the remainder of the company’s 13-year lease, the Journal Inquirer reported.
The lease agreement states that the company will pay roughly $85,000 annually over 20 years beginning in 2015 for an irrigation system; about $35,700 every year over 14 years for kitchen upgrades made in 2020 and 2021; and $25,000 over 12 years for the pro shop loan approved this month, the Journal Inquirer reported.
Manchester Country Club LLC is also required to pay rent to the town, which the lease caps at $60,000 per year, the Journal Inquirer reported. A $30,000 credit from the town’s Excess Capital Credit Account, administered by the Golf Course Oversight Committee, is applied annually to the company’s membership dues account until 2035, or until it’s depleted.
Amenities to come with the new pro-shop include a set of golf simulator stations, which would allow for all-weather, all-season play, the Journal Inquirer reported.
Schain said the country club also plans to renovate and expand the 18th tee, but the work is not likely to occur before next fall, the Journal Inquirer reported. The company is seeking approval from the town’s Inland Wetlands Commission.
Schain said work on the parking lot is also planned, but that no hard timeline is available and it would likely be a longer-term project, the Journal Inquirer reported.
C+RB reported in March 2021 that the club’s Waterview Cafe had been rebranded as The Hollow, with dining space nearly doubled, a bigger bar and brighter décor.
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