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Supervisors mull ditching county golf courses
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is considering getting rid of the Park Authority's golf courses.
On Tuesday, Park Authority Director Jay Ellington presented his group's quarterly report to the board.
Included in the report was the news that the county's three golf courses have lost 1.115 million over the last year.
The biggest loss came from General's Ridge, which lost $788,000. Forest Greens Golf Club lost $382,000 and Prince William Golf Club came out ahead, making $55,000.
Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R) stopped Ellington there, stating that he believes it's time for an “exit strategy” on golf courses.
“It is clearly sapping resources, county resources, Park Authority resources,” he said.
Stewart said the Park Authority should switch its focus back to open space and parks for children.
“After all, isn't that what the Park Authority should be focused on?” he asked.
“Clearly the Park Authority has failed to operate these courses in a profitable way,” he added. “Frankly, it has gotten frustrating.”
But there are eight members on the board and each of them will get a vote if the issue ever comes to that.
Supervisor John Jenkins (D-Neabsco) disagreed with Stewart's assertion that the public courses should be sold or otherwise transferred off the county's hands.
“I don't want to go in that direction,” he said, arguing that the county has a lot of equity built up into the golf courses and that the government shouldn't “give away an asset the county's been paying into for 30 years.”
With that, Ellington moved on with his update but the issue is likely to resurface again in the future. The Park Authority Board determines how money is spent, but the board members are appointed by supervisors and more than half of the Park Authority's budget comes from the county.
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