Golf course operator in the rough with Libertyville
A tough decision made more than two years ago by Libertyville officials to leave the golf course business is being revisited as the village seeks to recoup rent and other costs from the private operator.
The village has authorized legal action against BCS Golf Group LLC, the operator of the 9-hole par 3 Libertyville Golf Course on the west side of the Des Plaines River, because the company has not made good on improvements outlined in a 2013 agreement to operate the facility.
"We just don't want to let it sit here in limbo," said Trustee Todd Gaines, who chairs the village board's park and recreation committee.
However, what happens next could depend on whether a new investment group and business model will allow for the original vision to proceed, as BCS President and CEO Blair Subry said he is ready to start work on $1.3 million in improvements.
Opened in 1978, the facility became a perennial money loser and prompted the village to consider alternatives. The course posted an average annual deficit of about $83,500 when, in early 2013, the village reached an agreement with BCS to manage and operate the facility.
Plans called for a short game academy and teaching center, but the centerpiece idea was to replace the greens and tees with synthetic turf.
The low-lying area flooded often, rendering the course unplayable at times and contributing to the operating losses - an issue that would be solved because the turf could be vacuumed dry, according to Subry.
Daily fee golf was offered in 2013 and 2014. However, the new surfaces weren't installed and the course did not open this year, the third season under BCS. Greens and sand traps became overgrown, and the village hired a landscaping service for basic upkeep.
"It has not been in operation the 2015 golf season," said Connie Kowal, the village's recreation and sports complex director. "We've taken it on to maintain the course but not manicure it. We look to get reimbursed for that."
Last month, the parks and recreation committee authorized sending a notice of default letter to Subry regarding the lease. He did not respond, village officials said, and a legal complaint was authorized.
The complaint, scheduled to be filed this week, contends Subry failed to pay rent, did not install artificial turf, did not maintain the course, did not reimburse the village for expenses and did not submit a certified annual statement of gross receipts. The village is seeking damages of $27,258, which continue to accrue, as well as attorney fees and court costs.
"I don't know if it will ever be the golf course it was before, given our budget situation, but we owe it to the taxpayers to give them some clarity," Gaines said.
Subry told village officials in early June he was meeting with future partners and hoped to become current with lease payments. On Wednesday, he told the Daily Herald in an email he had a contract with a company and hoped to install synthetic turf on all greens and tees.
"Taking longer than anticipated but we have a deal," he wrote. He said the $1.3 million in improvements planned during the next year would include a state of the art golf practice center, a par 3 golf course and foot golf course.
Village Administrator Kevin Bowens said the village is hopeful.
"We're still going ahead with the (court) filing, and if can work something out, great," Bowens said.