Men’s Golf Association
A Letter to Commissioners
July 31, 2014 7:00 p.m.
Mr. Ed Boner Mayor of City of Fernandina Beach
Ms. Sarah Pelican Vice Mayor, City of Fernandina Beach
Mr. Charlie Corbett Commissioner, City of Fernandina Beach
Ms. Pat Gass Commissioner, City of Fernandina Beach
Mr. Johnny Miller Commissioner, City of Fernandina Beach
The Executive Board of the Fernandina Beach Men’s Golf Association strongly recommends that you make the best business decision for the City of Fernandina Beach and accept Casper Golf’s offer of $50,000 in exchange for a contract extension of five years duration.
The course is the best overall playing condition right now than ever in the past 10 years. The new Champion Bermuda greens installed on the South course are absolutely amazing in their putting trueness and speed compared to either of the other two 9-hole course.
Your acceptance of Casper Golf’s offer and the renovation of the West course greens will provide you with the best 18 hole course greens in the area and solve one of the major drawback to the course’s attraction that have plagued it for years. The city loses absolutely nothing in protection of its contractual rights by this decision.
After reviewing all of the facts, this decision is a no-brainer and is in the best interests of the City.
Respectively,
Fernandina Beach Men’s Golf Association
John Schroder, President
Lee Murray, Vice President
Bruce Smyk, Treasurer
John Rudd, Secretary
Bill McKeown, Member at Large
cc: John O’Brien, General Manager, Fernandina Beach Golf Course
Editor’s Note: Billy Casper Golf requested an answer to their offer to commit $50,000 (subject to a five year contract extension) toward renovation of the west course greens no later than August 15, 2014. At this time, there is no item on the upcoming August 5 agenda concerning Casper’s contract. Casper believes green renovation would increase revenue potential heading into the fall and winter seasons.
Thank you to the members of the Executive Board of the FBMGA for recommending the obvious to the City Commissioners. Take the $50k and allow the top golf course management company in the country (Billy Casper Golf) to continue (for 5 more years) to restore the City Golf Course from years of neglect. The alternative is quite simply a very bad management decision by the City Commission and puts the future of the course in financial peril.