SLIGO IN THE NEWS

Sligo Creek Golf Association

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March 4, 2010

When is it worth spending $1.9 million to upgrade a money-losing course?

Answer: When it's in the richest part of Montgomery County.

At least that's the position of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority as reflected in the Capital Improvements Program that went before the County Council's Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee Thursday... read more

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March 2, 2010

Proposed Bill: No more back-room deals to give up our Park Land!

Delegate Ben Kramer has proposed legislation to bar the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission from writing any future leases that cede control of county park land to a third party. He said the legislation would not overturn the exiting lease for Sligo Creek Golf Course, but would apply to any future leases.

Whether golf remains on the land or not, the bill is an important step towards ensuring that the land remains free from development.

The bill, PG-MC 118, will go before the Montgomery County delegation for a hearing and a vote Friday morning (March 5), at either at 9 or 9:30 in House Room 170 in Annapolis. Attend if you can. Click here to download.

More importantly, we need to flood our Montgomery county legislators with e-mails in support of Ben Kramer's bill. Send your thoughts to:
house@montgomerycountydelegation.com
senate@montgomerycountydelegation.com

Below is some suggested language to get the letter campaign started.

No More Sligo leases! No more back-room deals to give up our Park Land!

Dear Montgomery County Delegation,

Please support Delegate Ben Kramer's bill to make sure that the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission can never again turn over control of a Montgomery County golf course or park property without a vote of the elected County Council. Supporters of Sligo Creek Golf Course need this bill to keep the pressure on M-NCPPC and the County Council to do the right thing and keep the course open.

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January 25, 2010

Update on Sligo Creek Golf Course County Task Force

The County task force on the fate of Sligo Creek Golf Course has concluded. The Chair of the task force has submitted a report (click here to download) to Councilmembers that recommends:

• Seek a private operator for the course

• Have the Montgomery County Revenue Authority (MCRA) continue to operate the course through the process of selecting a private operator

• Be prepared to negotiate with the MCRA to operate the course if a private operator is not found

Given the MCRA position that Sligo can not be operated without taxpayer subsidies and their resistance to marketing the course differently, we enthusiastically support pursuit of a private operator. The course and the community will be best served by a partner who is committed to the continuation of golf operations.

The Park and Planning representative has proposed that the simplest path to keeping the course open is to have the MCRA take Sligo back into the system and operate it under the current lease agreement. We stand firm in our position that any operating agreement with the MCRA must include protection for individual courses like Sligo. It is unacceptable that we may have to repeat this battle next year or anytime in the future. This means the lease agreement MUST be renegotiated to:

• Clarify that the requirement for self-sustainability is for the golf system overall not each individual course

• Define what constitutes “adversity” of an individual course to the golf system overall

• Set guidelines for how overhead management fees or other accounting practices can impact the portrayal of a course’s financial health

• Put safeguards in place that require a publicly elected body to have decision making powers over the fate of public assets (e.g., the park golf courses)

The MCRA has also proposed that they will continue operating the course, perhaps without another special appropriation from the County Council, but only under the condition that they close the course from December through February. They would also reduce the maintenance on the course by:

• Reducing the frequency of cutting the greens, fairways, and rough

• Cutting fairways and rough to same height – a longer length than current fairways

• Allowing greens to grow longer

• Eliminating pesticide treatment except on greens

We OPPOSE the reduced maintenance plan of the MCRA. Their own data shows that maintenance costs fluctuate up and down with the rounds and revenue. In other words, there will be no savings by reducing maintenance. Rounds will decrease accordingly. The reduction in maintenance will only serve to decrease the playability of the course, drive golfers away, and ultimately work against our goal of enhancing the course and potential revenue.

Capital improvements will have to be funded outside of the operating revenue of the course. We’ve presented various options for tackling needed investment in the course. Our suggestion of dedicating revenue from parking lot rental, fundraising, and a $1 capital fund per round charge have been met with skepticism. We need our Councilmembers and County staffers to think outside the box and try doing things differently. This includes taking advantage of the offers of volunteers and local businesses to work on the course.

The Council has NOT added Sligo Creek Golf Course to their upcoming agendas. We need to remind them that this continues to be very important to us. Just because we’ve been relatively quiet and patient while the task force has been deliberating, does not mean we have lost interest. Let’s show our colors!

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January 9, 2010

The End is Near - Update on Sligo Creek Task Force Meetings

The County Task Force has one more meeting before having to present a recommendation to the County Council on January 19th. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the hearing. We do not have the specific time, but I will notify you as soon as I know... read more

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January 8, 2010

Non-Golfers Survey Results

Thanks to all who completed the Sligo Creek non-golfers survey. Click here for a high-level summary of the results.

Congratulations to the winners of the Non-Golfers Survey Drawing:

• Adrienne E. McBride
• Alison Jovanovic
• Andrea E. Chamblee
• Kim Rainey
• Loetta “Lolly” Vann
• Steve Buck
• Wendy Brown
• Zac Brousseau

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January 6, 2010

Revised SCGA Proposal (01-06-10)

SCGA has submitted a brief revised recommendation to the Proposal submitted on December 7, 2009. Click here for details. We recommend:

• Moving forward with a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI), which does not stipulate any conditions, to solicit interested private operators.
• The Council reexamine the Revenue Authority’s lease agreement (to determine if it truly requires Sligo to be self-sustaining) and their management fee practice.
• Initiating a new study of capital needs and current cost estimates with community involvement.
• Implementing a “fast start” program to help ensure a successful 2010 season.

Scroll down for details of the December 7, 2009 proposal.

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December 18, 2009

Golfers Survey Results

Thanks to all who completed the Sligo Creek golfers survey. Click here for a high-level summary of the results.

Congratulations to the winners of the Golfers Survey Drawing:

• Carroll Swain
• Jaime Benavides
• Derek Kuipers
• Dick & Linda Kirschten
• Jane Wattis
• Jim Rich
• David M. Coyne
• Howie Schaffer
• Peter Lukacs
• Marty Tucker

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December 7, 2009

SCGA Proposes Future Operating Plan for Sligo Golf

The County Council task force has only a few meetings left before having to present a recommendation on the future operation of Sligo Creek Golf Course. SCGA decided to accelerate the process and present a plan at the meeting on December 7, 2009. The plan details a viable way for the course to operate without taxpayer subsidies as well as care for capital improvements over time. In summary, we recommend that the operation of the course be put out to a competitive bid – open to both public and private operators.

The future operator of the course would pay a nominal percentage of revenues in rent to the county, which would be reserved in a capital fund for improvements to the course. In addition, other sources of money (e.g., including rent from HC hospital for parking spots, radio tower lease, $1 capital fund surcharge on rounds, and community contributions, etc.) would be diverted to the capital fund in order to build enough equity to address major improvements such as the irrigation system.

Our proposal is currently endorsed by seven (7) members of the task force and has certainly garnered some interest from others.

The Montgomery County Revenue Authority (the current Sligo operator) also presented a plan. The good news is they seem to be willing to put forward a plan. The bad news is their plan, as currently outlined, is unacceptable. It represents keeping the status quo operating agreement with a minor concession of a temporary reduction in the management fee.

• It still asks the county to subsidize the operation for a TBD amount of up to $150,000.
• It proposes to close the course December through February.
• And – it places all responsibility for marketing the course to increase revenues on the community.
• Finally, it suggests that a year from now the task force reconvenes to determine if the course should continue to operate.

Please review the following files:

• Task Force Update (12-07-09)

• SCGA Proposed Operating Plan

• SCGA Financial Support for Proposed Operating Plan

• MCRA's Proposal

Comments are always welcome.

Note: Despite the recent Gazette article, programs supporting Veterans are still envisioned as part of Sligo’s charge. Necessary changes to the course to accommodate them would be accomplished over time as other improvements to the course are made.

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November 11, 2009

Input Welcome on Sligo Creek Golf Course Capital Improvements

On 11-09-09, the Task Force discussed what Keith Miller of the Montgomery Revenue Authority (RA) believes are ESSENTIAL capital improvements for Sligo over the next five years.

REMEMBER that it was the $2.5 million of proposed capital improvement needs – as determined by the RA – that was used to justify closing the course in March 2009. The RA did not believe that Sligo could generate the additional revenue needed to finance these improvements.

While we agree it would be difficult to finance the whole $2.5 million up front, as with our own households, we must prioritize maintenance and improvements based on our personal budgets and what is truly essential and what is a “nice-to-have.”

SCGA welcomes YOUR INPUT to determine a reasonable capital improvement plan. Please read the RA's Capital Improvements (PDF) by clicking here and and decide WHAT is most important to you:

• Irrigation System
• Bunkers
• Tees
• Cart Paths
• Tree Work
• Parking Lot
• Maintenance Facility & Clubhouse
• Other

What, if any, of these improvement would DETER you from playing Sligo? What, if any, of these improvement would ENCOURAGE you to play Sligo?

Send your input via e-mail to: howlandk@gmail.com

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November 9, 2009

Task Force Update (11-09-09)

See below key highlights from the Council Task Force meeting (11-09-09) on Sligo Creek Golf Course. This was written by Woody Brosnan, a member of the task force and an integral player in our battle to keep the course open. The next one is November 23rd... read more

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October 27, 2009

Task Force Update (10-27-09)

See below key highlights from the Council Task Force meeting (10-26-09) on Sligo Creek Golf Course. This was written by Woody Brosnan, a member of the task force and an integral player in our battle to keep the course open. We will do our best to post summaries after each meeting. The next one is November 9th... read more

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September 29, 2009

SCGA Applauds the Council Vote

The Sligo Creek Golf Association applauds the County Council's 7-2 vote today to keep the 9-hole course open through June 30, 2010. SCGA also looks forward to participating on the 17- to 19-member task force that will recommend a long-term financial plan for the course by Jan. 19. The course had been slated to close on October 1... read more

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September 25, 2009

Statement About Committee Vote

The efforts of supporters of Sligo Creek Golf Course were rewarded today when a County Council committee recommended 2-1 that the full council approve a supplemental appropriation of $150,000 when they meet next Tuesday. This would keep the golf course open through June 30, 2010... read more

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September 9 & 10, 2009

Golf Outings

The Save Sligo Youth and Adult Tournaments were a big success.

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September 7, 2009

Labor Day Parades

The Kensington and Gathersburg Labor Day Parades were a big success.

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September 3, 2009

Statement from the Sligo Creek Golf Association

After meeting with Montgomery Council members or their aides within recent weeks, the leaders of the Sligo Creek Golf Association can say with increasing confidence that we will have the six council votes needed to keep the golf course open on Oct. 1 as we work with county leaders on long-term solutions for our beloved nine-hole course... read more

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August 17, 2009

SCGA Unveils Financing Plan to Keep Sligo Golf Open

Course Breaks Even with Fair Management Fee

After a thorough review of publicly available budgets, the Sligo Creek Golf Association today announced a financing plan that eliminates the need for additional money... read more

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August 16, 2009

Our Vision and Commitment for Sligo Creek Golf Course

The purpose of the Sligo Creek Golf Association is to preserve, promote and enhance Sligo Creek Golf Course as a golf course to serve novice golfers, low and moderate-income residents, seniors, and golfers with special needs while protecting the environment and the neighborhood... read more

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August 11, 2009

The Real Truth About Sligo Creek Golf Course — A Financial Primer

Sligo Creek Golf Course is not declining in popularity.

The number of rounds played at Sligo increased from 25,242 in 2006 to 28,815 in 2007 to 29,906 in 2008. Anecdotal evidence suggests the number of golfers is surging at Sligo this year because of the publicity about the course despite the lack of marketing of the course by the Montgomery County Revenue Authority... read more

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August 7, 2009

Broad Coalition Launches Non-Profit to Save Sligo Creek Golf Course

Welcomes Using Course to Aid Injured Vets

The newly-formed non-profit Sligo Creek Golf Association, Inc. (SCGA) today launched a county-wide campaign to encourage Montgomery County Council to keep Sligo Creek Golf Course open while a task force with broad community involvement develops a plan to permanently preserve the historic course as a recreational venue... read more