LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The future of three of the city's 10 public golf courses remains uncertain after the city presented a proposal to Metro Council that would see six of them continue under the management of golf pros.
The city has not received any interest from golf pros for Bobby Nichols, Crescent Hill and Cherokee courses. If the city cannot find a manager by March 1, the Metro Parks Department would have to manage them.
Without a manager, the courses' outlook remains cloudy, though Councilwoman Cindi Fowler, D-14, said that they could not be closed or used for other purposes without a council vote.
On Tuesday, a Metro Council committee started reviewing the city's proposal, which includes contracts for golf pros to run six of the course. According to Fowler, a final course, Quail Chase, already is under contract through 2024.
The committee is scheduled to have another special meeting on Wednesday and could vote for the proposal to move to the full council.
The city has been dealing with a budget shortfall, and last year, the Council raised the greens fees by $5 at each of the city's 10 courses.
From the mayor's office to Metro Council, most agree the city's public golf courses need work, but committee members disagree about the significance of the problems.
Fowler, who chairs the committee, said the courses serve an important role in some neighborhoods.
"We don't have much in Valley Station. We have a pool and we have two golf courses, so I am not willing to lose either one of those items, as you saw with the pool this past summer," she said.
However, Councilman Mark Fox, D-13, said golf courses must get a lower priority than public safety matters.
"It is not a lost fire company, it is not a cancelled police recruit class, it's not lost employment of our labor workers and it's not reduced social services or libraries or pools or any of the things our citizens have come to depend on from us," Fox said.
Margaret Brosko.
Margaret Brosko, a senior manager with Metro Government, stressed how hard parks employees have worked to maintain the courses.
"I just want to say, our operations team, I would put them up against anybody in the nation," Brosko said. "Their work ethic, their commitment, their continued commitment throughout this entire process, and the fact that they've all stayed and continued to work hard, speaks volumes."
Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
