An entirely new 2,000-sq. ft. structure will be built at the Fort Scott, Kan., property, costing nearly $47,000 with labor provided by a nearby community college’s construction trade program.
Improvements to Woodland Hills Golf Course in Fort Scott, Kan., are coming to fruition, the Fort Scott Tribune reported.
Beth Nuss, a concerned citizen who lives in the golf course area, appeared before the Fort Scott City Commission Tuesday with an update on a proposal to build a new clubhouse at the golf course. Nuss, who has been working with the Golf Course Advisory Board on the matter, said the new structure would replace the current old clubhouse, the Tribune reported.
“We wanted a clubhouse that was not huge, but one the city could maintain economically,” Nuss said.
The 2,000-sq. ft. clubhouse would cost nearly $47,000 to build. The city would partner with the construction trades program at Fort Scott Community College, which would provide labor for the project, the Tribune reported.
In February, City Manager Dave Martin said $20,000 in seed money was available to start the project. The city would supply materials for the building’s construction. Martin said the project will be funded using leftover insurance money the city received following damages left by the April 2013 hail storm, and $10,000 “given to the course to begin with,” as well as fundraising efforts. The golf course has a reserve fund used for course improvements, the Tribune reported.
“This is not taxpayer dollars,” Martin said. “This is money given by the group that helped start the golf course.”
As far as fundraising, organizers are aiming for $100,000, and any money left over after construction will go toward purchase and construction of cart sheds and possibly other improvements, Nuss said.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Nuss praised the current status of the golf course, which the city purchased in 2011, the Tribune reported.
“There has been an increase in popularity and success of the golf course since the city took it over,” she said. “It’s encouraging. The course is always full of people.”
Nuss said the current clubhouse “needed replaced,” as there is not really a place for golfers to gather and socialize on the course. “We’ve lost our sociability, and that’s part of golf,” she said.
The commission approved a motion to begin partnering with FSCC to get the clubhouse structure built, and to spend up to $46,891 in funds available for the project, the Tribune reported.
“This will start the process of getting the golf course started with the structure and foundation, things like that,” Martin said. “Beth Nuss is committed to raising the remainder of the funds.”
According to cost estimates provided by the city, construction of the clubhouse would cost $44,218, excluding other possible expenses such as plumbing and electrical contractors, cabinets and flooring, the Tribune reported.
Commissioner JoLynne Stainbrook, who also lives in the area of the course, said she is pleased with the number of people who frequent the course. “You didn’t see a full course a year and a half ago,” she said.
Several members of the Golf Course Advisory Board who were present at the meeting were recognized for their support of the effort to build a new clubhouse, the Tribune reported.
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