THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503150165
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
J.S. Baar Ltd., the company that leased Portsmouth's Sleepy Hole Golf Course, is one of four groups hoping to win a long-term contract to operate Bide-A-Wee, another city-owned 18-hole golf course.
Early this year, the city put out a request for proposal on the 129-acre golf course near Fairwood Homes and Tower Mall. The city received four bids, including one from Green Visions, a Northbrook, Ill., company that also sought the Sleepy Hole contract.
Two other local companies, JAV Associates and The Golf Company of Virginia Inc., also are competing to run Bide-A-Wee. Both companies are owned by local law firms.
The council is expected to announce the winner by July 1, said Michael Stephens, the city's public affairs director.
Jim Arementrout, a partner in J.S. Baar Ltd., is managing the Bide-A-Wee and City Park golf courses for the city. At the same time he is running Sleepy Hole as a private golf course.
The financially strapped city hopes to generate ``substantial revenue'' from the golf course, Stephens said. According to a city report, Bide-A-Wee earned $106,000 after expenses in 1994.
The city will earn $100,000 annually in rents on the Sleepy Hole complex, which includes a park and campground adjacent to the golf course. In addition, the city will receive a portion of the profits, and J.S. Baar has promised to spend $1.5 million on improvements to the golf course over the next 20 years.
Portsmouth leased Bide-A-Wee golf course to Chandler Harper for nearly two decades. It ended the lease arrangement in 1992.
Under the proposal, the city listed a number of restrictions, including that the course be open to anyone and that it be open year round.
The city will consider any improvements to the golf course as part of the lease arrangement. The city hopes to earn revenue from the course, but at the same time ensure that its value increases.
Since taking over operations of Bide-A-Wee, the city has built a new pro shop and snack bar. by CNB