Posted: 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015
Employee disappointed Weatherwax sale imminent
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/rick-mccrabb/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer
BUTLER COUNTY —
A
longtime employee at Weatherwax Golf Course recently attended a MetroParks of
Butler County board meeting on a “fact-finding mission.”
He
didn’t like what he learned.
Don
Hartness, a vocal advocate for Weatherwax, spoke to Kelly Barkley, senior
manager of community relations for MetroParks, then addressed the board during
its meeting last week. During public comments, Hartness called Weatherwax “a
gem in Southwest Ohio,” and a source of pride
in the community that provides recreation to thousands of golfers throughout
the region.
“What
resources do I have to stop this from happening?” Hartness asked the board
about the pending sale.
While
board members said they were disappointed the City of Middletown
sold Weatherwax to a Hamilton auctioneer, who
has since agreed to sell the course which won’t be operated following the 2016
season, they said they needed to protect their assets since they own the
adjacent Sebald Park.
Ed
Dwyer, board vice president, told Hartness the “last thing” the board wanted
was to shut down Weatherwax. But if the property was sold, he said, the board
wanted to seek the “next best use.”
Hamilton auctioneer Myron
Bowling purchased Weatherwax from the city for $1.6 million in 2014, then
leased the property to local businessman Jim Kraft. Kraft has said he has a
signed leased to operate the 36-hole golf course until Nov. 6, 2016. Hartness
said the city “gave it away,” though Weatherwax was appraised at $1.2 million.
In
February 2014, the city received two offers for the golf course: $1.6 million
from Bowling, and $225,000 from MiddCities in Cincinnati. Kraft and others have criticized
the city for selling the golf course, though that reduced the city’s budget.
Board
president Greg Amend said the city was losing $300,000 a year operating Weatherwax,
though it was paying $225,000 a year on a bond it used for major renovations in
1996.
Funds
to purchase the land are coming from Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national
non-profit organization. Barkley said the Clean Ohio Fund was providing $2.3 million
for the purchase and that the federal Land/Water Conservation Fund was
providing $90,000 for restoration work to return the property to its natural
habitat. She said the MetroParks general fund would be contributing $10,000
toward the acquisition.
No
financial terms of the agreement between Bowling and the buyer have been
announced, though board members agreed Bowling probably would make a
significant profit from his $1.6 million investment.
The
grant funding used by MetroParks to purchase the land is only for passive
recreational purposes, and operating a golf course doesn’t fit that criteria,
the board members said. They said the property will provide opportunities for
thousands of Butler
County residents and
future sports tourism events such as regional cross country meets, triathlons,
equestrian events and more.
Barkley
said after MetroParks takes ownership of the property, probably in December
2016, and after planned natural habitat restoration is complete, master
planning sessions will occur through a public process to determine what the
detailed usage plans will be on the newly combined Elk Creek MetroPark. But it
won’t be a golf course, board members stressed.
Amend
said eventually Bowling will sell the golf carts and maintenance equipment.
As
Hartness walked to his car, he shook his head.
“This
is disappointing,” he said. “I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
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