Contract extended for Bowes Creek golf course restaurant

Carlucci Hospitality got its renewed contract from Elgin City Council members Wednesday but not unanimously and not without a lengthy discussion.

The restaurateur has been operating Porter’s Pub at the city-owned Bowes Creek Country Club golf course since May 2011. The four-year $520,000 contract that council members approved is for $420,000 in 2012 to run the restaurant — including buying all the supplies and paying wages — and then $50,000 the following two years as a supplement for Carlucci to take over the business entirely.

In paying all the supply expenses for the restaurant in 2012, Elgin will receive all profits up to $650,000 and at least half of them after that.

Council members John Prigge and Anna Moeller voted against the agreement, which was approved 4-2 with Councilman Robert Gilliam absent.

Moeller said it is a poor use of public funds for the city to be operating the restaurant. She said she was not convinced Carlucci would be able to make it in 2015 and beyond without continued subsidies from the Golf Fund, which is meant to function without taxpayer dollars in 2012 but is not guaranteed to finish the year that way.

“Private operators don’t want to operate this because they know they’re going to lose money so why are we willing, as a community, to commit taxpayer dollars at a loss for the restaurant?” Moeller questioned before voting no.

Prigge mentioned concern with what he said was an unfair bid process that didn’t cast a wide enough net to capture the lowest cost possible from increased competition.

City Manager Sean Stegall said the city’s search accomplished the goal of getting a high quality vendor at the best possible price, though he said the city had little leverage to drive lower deals in the negotiating process.

“There weren’t very many high quality restaurateurs who wanted to open a high-quality restaurant in the middle of nowhere,” Stegall said.

The rest of the council, while supporting the contract proposal, acknowledged it was only the best of many bad options.

There will be a push in 2012 to open up the golf course to the wider community outside of Bowes Creek. A marketing campaign, entered into jointly by the city, Carlucci and the Bowes Creek housing developer Toll Brothers, will strive to bring more customers to Porter’s Pub, which is operated separate from the golf course and open year-round. The council has also discussed opening trails for skiing and hiking in the off season.

The golf course will continue to be used in economic development contract negotiations and used as a tool to bring more people and businesses to Elgin.

Dozens of Bowes Creek residents and supporters cheered after the contract was approved Wednesday, three of whom spoke in favor of Carlucci during public comment and emphasized the need for a restaurant to balance the golf operations and help the enterprise thrive.