Council members: Jones Golf Course in Cedar Rapids to open this year

CEDAR RAPIDS - Jones Golf Course is not going to close after all - at least not yet, members of Cedar Rapids City Council said this week.

At least five members of the nine-member City Council oppose closing Jones this year, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett and other council members said. The elected panel wants city staff to explore other options, including outsourcing golf management, boosting participation through marketing and social media and cutting costs.

'To me, it doesn't seem logical to keep the course open and keep trying and trying to not lose money,” said Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, who had supported closing Jones, 2901 Fruitland Blvd. SW. 'That's what we've been doing since 2008, and we continue to see flooding almost annually, but council is not interested in closing the course this year.”

Named for Richard C. Jones, a former Cedar Rapids parks commissioner, the course opened in 1959 with nine holes. In 2001, after a yearlong renovation, the course reopened with 18 holes. The current clubhouse was built in 2004.

Closing Jones was the linchpin in a plan to pull the city's money losing golf department out of the red. The plan, which was part of the fiscal 2018 budget adopted on March 14, was met with uneasiness from the start by members of the community and City Council. Staff said they would revisit the plan with the City Council at a later date and amend the budget as necessary, although that meeting has not yet happened. The fiscal 2018 budget year begins on July 1.

Jones is to open for the season once repairs stemming from the flood last fall are complete and the grass fills in, city officials said.

'I think there's been enough questions raised and enough questions asked at City Council meetings, we are going to explore other options,” said Council member Scott Olson, who hasn't taken a position on the golf plan. 'Jones is going to remain open in 2017.”

It's not clear when Jones will reopen, though. The city's other three public courses - Gardner, Twin Pines and Ellis - already are open, unless closed for poor weather.

City staff declined interview requests for this report. A special session where staff and City Council members were to discuss golf plans had been scheduled for Wednesday, but that meeting was canceled.

Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said in an email Monday, 'options will be publicly presented to the mayor and council,” possibly this month or at the May 9 City Council meeting.

Corbett said while he is not sure if closing Jones technically falls under City Council authority, he wants the City Council to vote on the matter in order to give staff direction. City staff had sought to hire a consultant to give a fresh look to the golf operations, but opted for an internal review after backlash due to the $50,000 price tag. The internal review led to the Jones closure recommendation.

Jones has been responsible for $803,719 of the $1.1 million the golf department has lost in the last five years; the department has borrowed more than $2 million from the general fund in total over time to cover department losses. City officials vowed to correct golf department finances after being criticized in the 2015 annual audit.

The hope was that by closing Jones, golfers would play more rounds at the three other courses, contributing to their financial health. On average, the city golf courses see about 100,000 rounds of golf each year.

For now, City Council members say they want to see alternatives.

City Council member Ralph Russell said he has a number of questions.

'A lot of questions will be about staffing,” Russell said. 'Do they feel we have the right amount of staff? What do pros do? Are there a lot of people who take lessons from pros?” I just want to get a better understanding of the operation.”

Russell, Olson, Corbett and Council member Scott Overland said they want to explore outsourcing golf to a private management company. Des Moines outsourced operations of its three city run courses and golf now turns a profit, council members said. However, Corbett noted, it remains to be seen if a private company could turn a profit on a course that floods as frequently as Jones.

According to the internal review, Jones has seen 25 flood events since 2001.

While Council members are interested in other options, they could come full circle to backing closure of Jones.

'If there's not the votes to close it now, I think the only choice is to look at other options,” Overland said. 'It could still be closing Jones at a later day.”

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