Golf Course Authority

To: NGCA Members From: Bernard Caulfield, Chairman NGCA Re: Minutes of NGCA regular meeting of October 18, 2023 Members Present Bernard Caulfield Susan Dutilly participated remotely David DiBattista Todd Postler Richard Strouse Bob Malouf Ray Lathrop Richard Podurgiel Michael Driscoll Others Present Mike Svab, Pro Manager participated remotely for only a portion of the meeting Eric Kundahl, Superintendent Mitchell Nixon, Finance Mickey Busca, Member’s Club CALL TO ORDER Chairman Caulfield called the October 18, 2023 meeting of the Norwich Golf Course Authority to order at 6:00 p.m. MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes of the September 20, 2023 meeting was made by Mr. DiBattista, seconded by Mr. Podurgiel, and approved by a vote of 9-0. FINANCIAL REPORT Mr. Nixon arrived late with the NGCA Financial Report deferred until his arrival. Current Month OPERATING REVENUES for the month of September 2023 were $101,408 compared to budgeted revenues of $134,621, $33,212 under budgeted revenues, and $24,775 less than September 2022 revenues. EXPENSES for the month of September 2023 were $113,772 compared to budgeted expenses of $132,301, $18,529 under budgeted expenses and $19,688 under September 2022 expenses. 1 NET LOSS for September 2023 was $12,364 compared to NET LOSS for September 2023 of $7,277. This is after depreciation of $11,876 in 2023 and $12,081 in 2022. CASH BALANCE for September 2023 was $142,693, in comparison to the prior month, August 2023, of $241,876. This is an increase of $819. YTD YTD OPERATING REVENUES were $1,232,509, compared to YTD budgeted revenues of $1,426,387. This is $193,879 under the YTD Budget, and $66,718 more than the prior year. YTD EXPENSES were $1,020,198 compared to YTD budgeted expenses of $1,302,302. This is $282,104 under the YTD budgeted expenses, and $191,009 less than the prior year. YTD Total Revenues were more than Expenses by $212,310; which is over budget by $88,225 and $257,726 over YTD September 2022. Items of interest on the Balance Sheet: • The Restaurant lease has been paid in full through September 30, 2023. • The balance in Accounts Payable (products/services received but not paid for as of 09/30/23) is $5,033. • The Due to General Fund is the NGCA’s cash balance as of 09/30/23. An amount in the Asset section means the City owes the NGCA those funds of $246,605. NOTE: September Cash Balance less Accounts Payable equals Cash (Shortfall): $246,605 ‐ $5,033 = $241,572 Mr. Nixon advised the Authority at the completion of his report that he will be leaving employment with the City of Norwich shortly to take up a new position with the Town of East Lyme. All of the members of the Authority expressed their disappointment that he was leaving but wished him every success and thanked him for all of his efforts on behalf of the Authority and the golf course over the last 2 ½ years. A motion to accept the Financial Report was made by Mr. DiBattista, seconded by Mr. Malouf, and approved unanimously. CORRESPONDENCE No correspondence received. 2  CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Chairman Caulfield noted that the pattern of rain on weekends has had its effect on revenue. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Mr. Kundahl reported that maintenance has started to prepare the course for the winter season, the preparations to include blowing out the irrigation lines, which he hopes to have done on or about November 10. The fountain is to be removed from the pond on the 15th hole by the end of November. Mr. Kundahl noted that the seeding on greens has been completed. The heavy fall of leaves is about to occur, and maintenance will need to do a good deal of leaf blowing over the next few weeks. Mr. Kundahl described efforts made to protect the recently installed trees. Male deer have been rubbing their antlers against the trees leaving cuts and marks. He has purchased and installed wrappings around the trees that are or may be affected as a protective measure, the wrappings reaching as high up the trunks as the deer have been reaching. Mr. DiBattista inquired as to efforts to provide first aid information to employees at the golf course. Mr. Kundahl responded that he had spoken with an employee at NFA who has agreed to provide a program for first aid and emergency medical procedures in the spring of 2024 for new hires and maintenance employees at the golf course. Mr. DiBattista and other members then discussed prospective projects at the course with consensus being that it would be advisable to set up a committee in 2024 to consider and review such with the input of the Superintendent and Pro Manager as to scheduling and other concerns. PRO MANAGER REPORT Mr. Svab was absent from the meeting and so presented no report. He had previously prepared a draft season pass rate schedule to include a proposed new type of membership as well as a course daily fee and cart rental schedule, all distributed in connection with the draft budget. During discussions concerning the draft budget Mr. Svab was called by Mr. Malouf and participated in the meeting remotely for approximately five minutes to answer specific questions. MEMBER’S CLUB Mr. Busca reported that the Member’s Club is discussing whether footing should be installed to provide additional stability to the practice nets located at the course. He advised the Authority that the social tournament had been rained out and plans are to hold it sometime next spring. The next tournament on the Member’s Club schedule is the Svab Two Ball Tournament to take place on Sunday, October 22, 2023. 3  REPORT ON THE 9th HOLE BRIDGE Mr. Malouf reported that three bidders had submitted bids, and the low bidder was Wiese Construction with a bid of $238,423. Approximately $54,000 has been spent on the project to date and the cost will exceed the $200,000 in available ARPA monies. He also advised that the city has provided an additional $95,000 in ARPA money raising the total available for the project through ARPA funds to $295,000. In response to questions of the engineering cost Mr. Malouf explained that they were higher than originally anticipated as it was determined by the engineering firm that no good original mapping existing for the area in which the bridge is to be built. It is in a floodway. Consequently, in developing the necessary plans full hydraulic studies had to be done and the Army Corps of Engineers was involved in addition to the town inland wetlands commissions and the DEEP. In response to another question, Mr. Kundahl advised that the tree removal in the bridge area which has occurred to date was done in house. In discussing the project Mr. Strouse reminded the Authority that the choice of method for the foundations will be up to Wiese Construction as part of its contract. It may not involve helical footings which had been previously discussed by the Authority. Mr. Malouf made a motion to accept the Wiese bid of $238,423 and to award it the contract to replace the bridge. This was seconded by Mr. Lathrop and approved by a vote of 9-0. BUDGET COMMITTEE Mr. Malouf first extended his thanks to Pro Manager Mike Svab, Superintendent Eric Kundahl and City Accountant Mitchell Nixon for the work they did on the draft budget, in particular analyzing records of the past three years and preparing an initial draft for the committee. A lengthy discussion on the draft budget followed. Mr. Lathrop reported findings he had reached following his own researches and asked a number of questions about the proposed seasonal fees and declines in various memberships. He also asked about some of the hourly compensation rates proposed for a particular position at which point Mr. Svab was called for his input. During his review Mr. Lathrop observed that the season rate structure, in some categories, might favor particular members over others in ways not necessarily intended. He is seeking to obtain information with respect to the number of individuals in each category and whether the numbers had been increasing or decreasing over time. The consensus of the Authority was that these are areas which needed further exploration and in the absence of the Pro Manager the information which might help answer them was unavailable. The information will be provided, and the approval of a budget including fee schedules will take place at a subsequent meeting. 4 Mr. Malouf noted that savings in the maintenance budget this year have resulted in a surplus in two accounts within the maintenance budget. Mr. Kundahl would like to use funds in two accounts to purchase a new greens mower at a cost of approximately $51,000, the mower to be available in 2024 to replace an existing but inadequate mower. A motion to approve the purchase of a new greens mower at a price of $51,000, with $35,000 to be taken from Account 51511 Maintenance Wages and Account 56610 $16,000 Course Supplies was made by Mr. Malouf, seconded by Mr. Podurgiel, and approved unanimously. Mr. Malouf noted a need for redoing the parking lot and re-striping it. Based on some initial estimates he believes the work can be accomplished for under $25,000. A motion was made by Mr. Podurgiel, seconded by Mr. DiBattista to move $20,000 from Account 54310 Repairs and Maintenance to Account 54430 Repairs and Maintenance in the general budget for this purpose. The motion was approved by a vote of 9-0. Mr. Lathrop raised concerns regarding the first tee and the need to get more sunlight on to it. Some suggestions were discussed but it was agreed that this should be considered in 2024 as a project. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn the meeting was made at 7:29 P.M. by Mr. DiBattista, seconded by Mr. Podurgiel and approved by a vote of 9-0. 5