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Wednesday October 24th RSVP 302-436-0808 2012 to Concierge
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Registration/Continental Breakfast Overview of Dementia – Dr. Lawrence Kemp Break Legal and Financial - Shannon Owens, Esq. Lunch Behaviors and Communication – Ruth Pryor, Geriatric Social Worker Break Hospice Care – Cheryl Doucette, Delaware Hospice Wrap Up/Evaluation - TOUR
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OCTOBER 5, 2012
Shuster says city links currently on upswing; BCG handles Pines Continued from Page 19
terim city manager. Last week, the council voted to codify Meehan’s policies, and some even stricter revisions. That discussion was not the first, however, to imply that the golf course is worth more to the city as a wheel-greaser for public relations and political niceties than it is as an actual moneymaker. But city Parks and Recreation Director Tom Shuster said that now would be a less wise time to turn operations over, given that the course’s business is increasing. “Every few years, the Casper group will send out a letter saying that they’re up for consideration for this,” Shuster said. “But from an operations standpoint and from a bottom line standpoint, we’re actually better off running the golf course ourselves.” Following a dip with the economy, Shuster said that Eagle’s Landing has been on the upswing for the past three years. Fiscal year 2012 saw 35,751 rounds played, up 3,101 rounds from FY11. Green and cart fees were similarly up $117,000, and pro shop and concessions sales up $27,000. The golf course is run as a separate “enterprise fund” within the city’s budget, Shuster noted. “We have to propose a budget each year that is either balanced or produces some revenue in
excess of projected expenses,” he said. Final numbers from FY11 indicate that, from a total operating cost of $1,948,542, a slight profit of $77,917 was turned. “A private operation can only do better than us if they do one of two things: either they drastically reduce their costs or increase their revenues,” Shuster said. “Typically, this means reducing staff or increasing rates.” A move to slash staffing costs seems to be alluded to in the literature included in Waldron’s proposal. An article from “Golf, Inc. Magazine” on operational privatization stresses the reduced personnel hassles that come with less governmental oversight. “The payroll cost structure is higher [for municipal courses] than incurred by daily-fee courses,” the article states. “Fringe benefits and retirement packages can aggregate up to 30 percent of base salaries. With higher labor costs, municipalities are often forced to reduce marketing and capital investment.” Billy Casper Golf has managed the Ocean Pines Golf and Country Club since the fall of 2010, when it was brought on in hopes of correcting the $200,000 loss the course was operating under. But since then, the course has still been troubled by a lack of capital improvement funds and reportedly poor greens conditions.