East Dundee officials weigh in on Bonnie Dundee proposal

A proposal to reconfigure the 105-acre Bonnie Dundee Golf Club has some East Dundee officials concerned with the cost, quality and scope of the project.

The Dundee Township Park District has been soliciting feedback regarding a concept plan that would transform 40 acres of the property into a community park with athletic fields, trails, playgrounds and picnic areas. The move would downsize the club's golf course from 18 to nine holes.

The project, expected to cost the park district roughly $2 million, would aim to address a deficiency in public park space on its east side, said Tom Mammoser, executive director of the park district. It would also rebrand Bonnie Dundee golf operations, he said, which have seen a decline in usage and revenue over the past decade.

But some East Dundee officials said Monday that they worry the facility's clubhouse and golf amenities are not conducive for attracting clientele who would use a smaller course. Some also feared the proposed changes would turn golfers away.

"I just feel like we're kind of downgrading in a whole lot of ways," Trustee Kirstin Wood said.

Trustee Jeff Lynam said he thinks the price tag of repurposing the property is too high, calling the plan a "huge money pit."

The park district took over the golf club 25 years ago at the request of residents who were concerned it would be redeveloped, Mammoser said. Voters passed a $4.9 million referendum in 1991 to acquire the site, which has a Carpentersville address and is located in East Dundee.

Mammoser said staff now thinks the property would better serve more residents by being partially converted into a park. The athletic fields, for example, would be available for the dozens of park district soccer teams and other sports leagues.

"The park district has the realistic challenge of the financial aspect of the course," he said. "We also have the civic responsibility to make sure the taxpayers are represented and have the recreational amenities they need."

The additional park services, however, could also require a greater East Dundee police presence and could lead to more calls for service in that area, Chief Terry Mee said.

Park district board members have yet to vote on the proposal, which has received mixed reviews from community members of various ages and recreational interests. If the concept is approved this year, Mammoser said, the project could be complete by 2019, though a specific timeline has not been set. Bonnie Dundee will maintain its 18-hole course through 2017.

"You guys are going to do what you do based on the numbers that you see and the intended use of your citizens," East Dundee Village President Lael Miller told Mammoser. "We're anxious to see what you guys come up with."