THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502030211
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
If a private company can take a city property, such as Sleepy Hole Golf Course and Park, and make it pay, why can't the city?
On paper, the golf course and park combined lost $77,000 last year. Considering the demand for golfing facilities in the region and the erstwhile reputation of Sleepy Hole as a good course, that seems incredible.
Given that information, it also seems passing strange that the people who want to lease the property, headed by the current pro Jim Armentrout, are willing to invest $1.5 million in capital improvements and pay the city $100,000 in annual rent plus a percentage of profits on rentals, greens fees and golf cart rentals.
If Sleepy Hole can generate so much money for private entrepreneurs, why has the city been losing money?
Maybe the fact is that the Parks and Recreation Department has no business sense and running golf courses and RV parks requires some bottom-line mentality.
I have heard dozens of reasons why the city has done poorly with Sleepy Hole Golf Course and Park.
Many people do not like the atmosphere created by Armentrout. Others say that the course has not been maintained in recent years.
Certainly, the city does very little to promote the use of the campgrounds or the Obici House.
Not too many years ago, Obici House was a thriving enterprise with rentals growing every year. The volunteer organization working to use and maintain the facility was active and spent money on the building. But the city has done little over the past five or six years to promote and encourage use of the house. Nor has the city maintained a liaison with the Obici friends who, in fact, have told me that they have money to spend on the house.
Obici House sits on a beautiful site overlooking the 18th green and the Nansemond River. Obici House is a grand place for meetings as well as for weddings and receptions. Yet, during this age of retreats and meetings in almost every business, the house sits empty most times.
Nor does the city properly promote and advertise the campgrounds. If people don't know the park is there and open to the public, they certainly aren't going to use it.
The plan to lease Sleepy Hole Golf Course and Park certainly is preferable to selling it. As Assistant City Manager Tim Little told City Council on Tuesday, Sleepy Hole should be more valuable and in better shape at the end of the proposed 20-year lease than it is today.
City Council certainly should react positively to this contract that Little said is a good deal for the city. They also should be sure that the lessees are kept to the contract, making the improvements promised within the early years of the agreement.
At the same time, it should raise some questions.
The first one: Why will the complex show so much profit as a private operation, when it lost money under city management?
The second one: Will it be healthy for the city's other two courses, Bide-A- Wee and City Park, to be operated by the same pro who will be racing to make money on Sleepy Hole?
Human nature, being what it is, it would be tempting for Armentrout to put his time and energy in the course that must make money for him.
Little said the city presently is seeking proposals to lease Bide-A-Wee, where Armentrout is on a month-to month lease with the city.
``So far, we haven't addressed the matter of all the contracts,'' Little said. But the future rental of Bide-A-Wee should be decided within the next two months.
If council approves the contract with Armentrout, it should move immediately to sever the golf pro's connections with Bide-A-Wee and City Park.
Meanwhile, maybe the officials also ought to take a hard look at the way city agencies operate. Any activity that normally makes money for private entrepreneurs also should be making money for the city; if it doesn't, city officials ought to be asking some hard questions. MEMO: Agree? Disagree? The Currents would like to hear from you. Send your
thoughts to The Currents, 307 County St., Suite 100, Portsmouth, Va.
23704-3702, or fax us at 446-2607. by CNB