PANAMA CITY — Several private companies might be interested in submitting a proposal to operate Bay Dunes Golf Course.
Representatives from three golf companies took a pre-proposal site visit to the course Wednesday morning, which was required before a company can respond to a county request for proposal that has been advertised to manage and operate the course. Those requests are required to be in to the county by 2 p.m. on Jan. 21. The proposals will be publicly opened on that deadline.
The companies represented at Wednesday’s tour were GAC Contractors, representing Holiday Golf Course on Panama City Beach, which is currently operating the course on a short-term lease that expires on March 17; Royal American, which operates Nature Walk Golf Course in Lynn Haven; and Down to Earth, Inc. out of Tangerine, Florida, which operates numerous courses in Central Florida including those at The Villages.
--- DEVELOPER WANTS TO CLOSE NATURE WALK, BUILD HOMES»»
There were 10 companies that requested proposal packets but only those three companies showed up at the required meeting at the course.
At a meeting Wednesday afternoon, the county’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board decided that if the requests don’t pan out, a future public meeting would be scheduled after the proposal deadline to discuss possible other recreational uses for the property. They asked staff to come back with recommended alternative uses other than a golf.
“I believe the commission would like to task the Parks and Recreational Advisory Board in looking at possible options for the property as to what else it could be used for if it’s not operated as a golf course,” Bay County General Services Director Jamie Jones told the board.
Advisory board chairman Scott Clemo said he would prefer that the board listen to staff recommendations at a future meeting.
“Obviously Harders Park is right there, and most of the time it has all of the available fields that it can use,” Clemo said.
County Commissioner Bill Dozier, who is the commission liaison to the committee, said the main goal is to get a private company to continue to operate the property as a golf course.
“That would be the best scenario if somebody was so inclined through this (request for proposals),” he said. “But anything outside of that, I think different options would be the right way to go. Look at possibly long-term, look at short-term, look at something you can do with small areas, just a variety of different options.”
Dozier said there does not have to be any recreational use on the property.
“If something happens to the property to where it’s not a golf course, we don’t need to immediately go out there and do anything,” he said. “Just make sure the (landfill) cover is there and meet all the Department of Environmental Protection (regulations).” The golf course was build atop a closed landfill.
The course was about to close down before the Bay County Commission on Dec. 16 agreed to hire Holiday Golf & Racquet Club to operate it for three months as the county evaluates the revenues and operational costs.
The temporary lease agreement calls for the county paying Holiday Golf $25,000 a month while the company maintains and staffs the facility.
Tony Ray had been leasing out the course property since 2011, but he sent county officials a letter stating he would be leaving. He also said the course wasn’t profitable.
Jim Carlisle, who is managing the course, said Wednesday afternoon that the weather hasn’t cooperated since Holiday took over the course.
“There is not a whole lot of play,” he said. “The weather got us.”
Bay County will receive all of the financial numbers from the course soon, he said.
“We’ll turn everything over far as financial after first 30 days,” he said. “This is our third week.”
--- DEVELOPER WANTS TO CLOSE NATURE WALK, BUILD HOMES»»
Carlisle said the play could increase at Bay Dunes should Nature Walk Golf Club in Lynn Haven close down. A developer is proposing closing Nature Walk and replacing it with a residential development. The Lynn Haven City Commission will consider the land use change next Tuesday.
Bay Dunes and Nature Walk are courses played by many working-class people and seniors looking for inexpensive greens fees.
“Those players who got displaced have got to go somewhere to play,” Carlisle said.