06April25precouncilMeridian City Pre-Council Meeting April 25, 2006
The Meridian City Pre-Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. on
Tuesday, April 25, 2006 by President Councilman Shaun Wardle.
Members Present: Keith Bird, Shaun Wardle, Charlie Rountree and Joe Borton.
Members Absent: Mayor Tammy de Weerd
Staff Present: Bill Nary, Ron Anderson, Doug Strong and Will Berg.
Item 1. Roll-call Attendance:
Roll call.
X Shaun Wardle X__Joe Borton
X__Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
_O_ Mayor Tammy de Weerd
Item 2. Adoption of the Agenda:
Bird: Mr. President.
Wardle: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we adopt the agenda as published.
Rountree: Second.
Wardle: It’s been moved and seconded to adopt the agenda as published. All in
favor.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
Item 3. Lakeview Golf Course Lease Agreement Extension:
Wardle: We have Dick Davis and I will make a note that in your packets and for
the record we also have some documents provided by Lake View and Dick if you
would like to join us and give us kind of a brief overview of the year and then we
could talk a little bit about a lease extension beginning in the year 2035.
Davis: Thank Shaun and members of the Council. Eric is on his way. We took a
few pictures today to kind of show you guys if you haven’t been out there what
we have been doing. We have been there – I don’t know whether we have been
there a year yet, whether it is tomorrow or three or four days past a year, but
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April 25, 2006
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right at a year and we are pretty happy with the accomplishments we have
made. You know I think a lot of you have been out there and you have seen we
redid the bar and restaurant and that is a nice, nice facility now. We bought a
bunch of equipment, we hired some people who know what they are doing to
take care of the course and we are getting a lot of good compliments on the
condition of the course. We really have got some good people working for us.
This year we destroyed three greens that were atrocious. They were poorly built,
slowed up play, made people mad that they couldn’t putt on them and so we took
three of them out this spring and increased the size, about 70 percent on each
green, flattened them out. We got a guy in here – he was a great guy to work
with. He is 74 years old and shaped these greens and he has been doing this all
his life. He is retired guy who lives over in Emmett and just loves to get out and
get on a crawler tractor and do a little work once in a while. Through Cloverdale
we got hooked up with him and he came out and he doesn’t want a blue print, he
doesn’t want anything – he asks what do you want and you tell him and he says
okay come back in four days and he pushes the dirt back and forth and come
back – we changed one three times on him until we got it like we liked it, but he
did exactly what we want and really knows what he is doing and these greens
are going to be awesome. They are built right. They are drained right. We have
got two of them seeded and the third one will be seeded tomorrow and we won’t
be able to play on them until probably mid-summer, but they are going to be
awesome. We brought the lake clear out in front of the number one green and
put two bunkers in front of it and it is really going to be a signature hole for the
golf course. They really are going to be a neat deal.
Wardle: Now, Dick just to interrupt for just a second. First off I certainly
appreciate that we are redoing these greens because every time I missed a putt
out there I always blamed it on turf. But, just for the record the Clerk would like
to know which greens are we talking about for this year?
Davis: Okay, 1, 6 and 7.
Wardle: Thank you.
Davis: 1, 6 and 7 and along with that we are redoing a bunch of the irrigation
system out there around those greens and on those holes. We put a net up at
the end of the driving range this year. We didn’t have to, but we just kind of felt
for our liability sake we wanted to do that. It is about 280 yards from the tee to
the – from the driving range to the net, but with an improvement in the equipment
and these young kids that hit the ball like your (inaudible--) and some of these
people – this is a 30 foot high net and it is going to eliminate any balls going over
for those homeowners behind there. It cost us $30,000 to due, but we kind of felt
it was worth it and so that is up there now and we are keeping an eye on people
because there are still a few guys even with our limited flight range falls, if there
is a wind they can still hit it over there. They won’t hit the houses right behind
the net because if they go over that far, they are going to hit the ones in the next
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April 25, 2006
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(inaudible). So, we keep an eye on that and I have told the people, I said if you
get hit over there call us and we will address it right now. We will get out on the
driving range and we put up signs, you know if you are capable of doing that
please refrain from that. So, anyway that is something we did. The maintenance
facility is coming along great. We should be in there in another month. They
guys are working inside now. The outside is pretty well done except for the brick
columns on all four corners and there is three of them in the back to kind of make
it look a little nicer and Bud Lannen is out there today, he is doing the bricks and
he said he would probably be done with that by the middle of next week and our
asphalt guy is out there as we speak. I just left him and he is staking that out to
get his crew in Friday to start grading the deal to put asphalt down. So, anyway
that is where we are. Play is way up and it’s not where we want it, but it is going
to be there and we have got a good computer system in the Pro Shop now that
we can track rounds. When we took it over, I couldn’t even get the figures as to
what the rounds were in your past and now we can track 9 hole, 18 hole comp
rounds, the whole ball of wax. So, we will have a good handle on that next year.
How many rounds we are getting and the thing that I see with municipal golf
courses is ground is so valuable anymore that I know two golf courses and one
of them is my old – the one I used to own the Boise Ranch, they are seriously
talking about some of those for subdivisions. You can make a lot more on a
subdivision than you can on a golf course. So, there is two of them that are for
sale right now to build houses on so it is going to make municipal golf courses
that much more important. So, anyway that is kind of where we are. Eric, my
partner is supposed to be here. He was stuck in traffic as we drove in here and
he has got a few pictures of some of the stuff that we are doing. What we
thought we would like to do is when we get done here in a month, probably or six
weeks have all of you folks come out and we will give you a tour around. We will
go look at those greens that we have redone and look at the maintenance
building and we can – all our new equipment and our new carts and all of that
kind of stuff. But, we want to get it done and looking good. It is kind of dusty and
dirty out there right now. If you have got any questions, I would be –
Wardle: Just to – Dick and Eric and I talked about the potential when they get
the course finished to have us out – certainly, we need to notice that to the
Clerk’s Office, but maybe in addition to doing a tour we could have a small open
house where we can talk to the neighbors and I will be the first to tell you, Dick,
that having been in the middle of this I hear only positive comments about your
organization and what you have done with the course. I tried to talk to as many
people out there as I can and I have heard a lot of good news.
Bird: Mr. President.
Wardle: Mr. Bird.
Bird: Dick I would like to thank you the way you have treated the young kids. I
happen to have a couple of grandsons that live over at that course and the way
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April 25, 2006
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they are treated and the way you treat the oldest one that plays on the golf team
and the way you treat those kids – I don’t know that course is – I am like Shaun I
have heard nothing but positive out of that. Your restaurant has definitely had
many, many raves from everybody that has been there that I have talked to and I
have had the opportunity to play the course a couple of times this year. It is
beautiful. It is in nice shape thanks to a lot of rain.
Davis: Yeah, that helped.
Bird: But also, just thanks to you investing in some equipment and going out and
getting it done. I know of probably eight to ten people that are in your league
that either played at Shadow Valley or Boise Ranch or Centennial last year, but
come back because and I think you are just starting to get the rounds of golf that
you are going to get.
Davis: I appreciate that Keith and I think that you are right. There is my partner.
Yeah, we had – they never had a ladies’ league in the evening before. They had
a group of ladies that played in the morning and it’s a great group of ladies, but
we have had to do kind of an educational deal out there because they were the
ladies of Lake View and so then we said well we want to have a ladies’ league in
the evening so that all of the ladies have a chance to play even those that work.
They can get off work and go play and so then it was the night ladies and the
morning ladies (inaudible--). We got the evening ladies’ league started and that
is on Wednesday night and we have three flights which will handle 60 ladies. I
think there are 54 that play in the ladies’ league in the evening on Wednesday
night and this is their first year. Last year we got men’s league started in the
evening and we had about 60 guys playing. This year we have 96 and it’s kind
of like Keith said they are starting to come around and actually 120 is maximum.
So, that fills the whole course up. But, we have got 75 percent of the course
filled up on Thursday night with men play. You know it is a fun deal for the
people and we have got some other deals going and we do poker on Monday
night, Texas Hold ‘em and give away a hat or a round of golf or something for a
prize. The grand prize at the end of the year is going to be a season pass. So,
we are having a little fun. I don’t know what Eric has got here.
Wardle: Mr. Rountree.
Rountree: If Eric is ready I can hold my comments or I can make my comments
now.
Wardle: Why don’t you go ahead?
Rountree: I just wanted to say from observation having the now good fortune of
being a neighbor, the course has obviously never looked better and I talked to
Dick one Saturday night not long ago and asked him what he did and he said a
little fertilizer and water works wonders and it has. They have maintained the
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April 25, 2006
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course exceptional and it is a treat to get up in the morning and to look down two
fairways and you can see a minimum of three machines coming at you, mowing
the fairways and mowing the greens and that is almost everyday. They are
working on the weeds and they have got a (inaudible) task there I will tell you
and they have done a great job getting the weeds knocked down and the
clubhouse is great it is really kind of – you know it is a nightlife, but it is kind of
family oriented, too. You go over there for dinner and there are kids and folks
and they are having a good time and the meals are affordable and they are good
quality. I haven’t eaten breakfast over there yet, but that is on the schedule to do
and I hear that is fantastic, so it has become a real asset, I think, to the
community, not just in the neighborhood out there, but for Meridian. Like Dick
says they are coming along on the out building and I was a little dubious there for
a while and waiting for the phone calls to start and it haven’t had any yet. My
buddy Jack hasn’t called me yet, so I think that is probably going to be a good
thing and you are sprucing it up to make it look a little better than just a flat
building and that is great. Your grounds guys are doing a wonderful job. They
have got a tree program kind of going on out there that if you want to plant some
trees, you go to do right and pick your trees and I haven’t figured out how the
rest of the process works yet because Rich and I just can’t seem to get together,
but I have got two stakes out there where I want a couple of trees and I know
what trees I want and I wrote them on the stake so I guess when I hear back we
will know how that happens, but so far it is working. I haven’t gotten rid of that
spiked tree yet, but I will be working with Dick on that and I think I can get that
out of there in a hurry if you let me.
Davis: This tree program that we have got, we made a deal with Do-Right to just
let people come down there and pick out – I think we picked like 40 varieties of
trees that would be good in that type of soil. Some deciduous trees and some
Evergreen trees and so if people want to plant a tree out on the course, they can
go down there and pick one out and then we go pick it up and plant it and get it
all set for them and stake it out.
Rountree: I was going to ask you, Bill a question on that and I know we don’t
have a program set up, but since that is a municipal facility and in 503(c)(1) or
whatever. As a city is there someway that they could maybe encourage more of
that if they want more trees out there (inaudible) – for the neighbors to say you
can get a tax donation on this if you donate. Trees are not – you are talking at
least a two inch Caliper deciduous tree and the $125 to $250 and Conifers are
anywhere from $100 to $200 and you know I am not asking for that, but I would
think that if he could maybe work that into his tree program that might be some
additional selling point for you to get that to happen.
Nary: Mr. President and members of the Council and Councilman Rountree that
is an interesting question and I don’t have the answer today, but we will certainly
look and see. The homeowner pays for the tree or--?
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April 25, 2006
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(Inaudible discussion)
Nary: The homeowner pays for the tree.
Rountree: I assume you guys can plant them.
Davis: Oh, yeah, we plant them. So, there definitely could be a donation.
Bird: But you don’t have to be a homeowner, I mean I could go get one.
Davis: Yeah. We are looking at planting a lot of trees over the next few years, I
mean hundreds.
Bird: It is going on city property.
Rountree: Looking for a few nickels on the income tax, you know – a $500
donation, get a couple three trees.
Davis: Just in case you do get any calls, I already got two on dandelions and I
have told both the people that we have invested $1 million in this course already
and we are not going to let the dandelions go wild. It is just that our guys have
been working on those greens. We have got to get those planted and like I say
the last one will be planted tomorrow and then we are planning on spraying
everything because we have got the opportunity to host one of the five major IGA
golf tournaments in the state this year and that is the IGA Men’s Amateur 2 and
that is going to be the middle of August and so we felt really good that we were
asked to do that. All of the time that I was at Boise Ranch we never got asked to
host one of those tournaments and we got asked this year. There are five major
tournaments in the state and we are hosting one of them this year and I have got
radio lined up to do a remote that day to talk to the players. It will be players
from all over the state. Anyway, we have got to get those greens grown in. That
is our top priority.
Rountree: Are you setting up some kind of volunteer program for that?
Davis: We will have a volunteer program for that.
Wardle: You bet, I would like to invite Eric Oaas to come up and we will get a –
(Inaudible discussion)
Wardle: Eric you could maybe just kind of go through your presentation here real
quickly and then we will address just the basics of the lease and maybe ask a
question or two.
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April 25, 2006
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Oaas: All right. President Wardle, Councilmen we really appreciate the
opportunity of being here and I know Dick has given you all the details. We will
just sort of walk through these slides real quickly. For those who haven’t seen
the inside now this is how it looks and this picture doesn’t do it justice, but it looks
fabulous in there. This is in the clubhouse. Here is the maintenance building on
the far right side and it doesn’t show real well now, but we’ll have right up in here
these will be brick, all of these to sort of give it a real nice external appearance,
brick columns, but the building itself looks very, very nice. Here is the – just
generally speaking this is what the course looks like. It is in just prime condition.
I played out there Saturday. It was just fabulous. Wait until you see what Dick
and the team have done on 1, 6 and 7. Okay here is the first hole and back out
in here is your – let’s see as you are looking from the clubhouse – so we will flip
it again to show you where the changes were that – okay that first one did that
show where --? Ron could you put that last one back up, please? Okay so is it
this piece right here?
Davis: It’s the one right in the front.
Oaas: So, the first tee box is back over in here. But, now you can’t play straight
through. You have got to lay up here and hit it over the water and this first green
is just fabulous. I would match that first green up against any green in the whole
Valley. It looks wonderful.
Bird: Did you lengthen it or shorten it?
Davis: Yeah, it is about 70 percent bigger than it was. It is longer. It is 100 feet
from front to back and we got a gazillion (inaudible) that we can make –
Bird: And it doesn’t sit like that?
Davis: Yeah, it doesn’t sit like that. It is just nice and (inaudible) – like for
tournaments we can put a pin behind the bunker, you know for (inaudible) reward
type thing for the really good guys – it is neat.
Oaas: Now this is number 6 and Dick and the team have extended the pond
here between 6 and 7 and of course they will be watering this very, very soon
and then – do you have pictures of the greens on 6 and 7?
(Speaker unknown): On the next one.
Oaas: Okay.
Bird: You (inaudible) back into 6, the water?
Davis: We ran it south along – we moved 7 green back 25 yards and around the
lake another 60 or 70 feet –
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April 25, 2006
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Bird: On pass that? North of that?
Davis: Along the side the green.
Oaas: This is number 7 right here, Dick, isn’t it?
Davis: Yeah.
Oaas: The number 7th
green and again these pictures don’t quite do it justice,
we are anxious to get you out on the course. Here is a typical client response: “I
had stopped going to Cherry Lane because of its poor conditions, but now Lake
View has brought us back and we couldn’t be more impressed”. This is not an
isolated response, right Dick?
Wardle: Let me, if I can lead into the specifics on the lease analysis that we are
considering, the City Attorney’s Office and I, specifically Ted Baird have met
several times with Lake View Golf Course. The first thing I am going to point out
is that our minimum lease payment, which is currently $6,000 per year; in the
year 2035 moves to $100,000 per year. In the year 2045 the minimum lease
payment to the city is $150,000 and then in the year 2055, it moved to $200,000
per year. So, incrementally we talk about the city achieving value from its
investment. These are minimums that I would like to point out. In the formula
that we have calculated and you will see – I don’t know if you got the performer,
but you have it in your packets. One of the first things that we talked about is the
city re-contributing back into the improved capital improvement of the course and
that is I think one of the things that we have had over the past is how are we
going to improve this and to make sure that the tenant doesn’t simply stop
improvement of course and have some of the conditions we have had in the
past. So, the city share of, outside of the minimum, the city share of capital
improvements being 25 percent and above and beyond that a shared revenue
multiplier, the city’s share would be as follows: greens fees, 5 percent; golf carts,
4.5 percent; food and beverage, 2.5 percent; and pro shop, 1 percent. Eric I
don’t – what was our analysis for the first year and what that could calculate out
to? Was it –? These are all projections, which is why we have a minimum.
Oaas: President Wardle this is actually five year increments, but based on the
revenue model or the formula that President Wardle just discussed – what we did
is we took, we just started with a hypothetical growth rate from this year going
forward and out 30 years from now this number tends to look pretty large, but
this is a five year, combination years 31 – 35 of a hypothetical revenue of – I
know this sounds outlandish, but $48 million on a five year basis, which would be
about $12 million a year or about $10 million, $9.5 million and hypothetical that
income would (inaudible) out $4.8 million over that five year period. The capital
improvements would be about $2.2 million, but if we calculated based on the 5
percent of greens fees and 4 percent of carts and what is it 2 percent and 1
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April 25, 2006
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percent, but the gross lease amount would be $1,386,000 over this five year
period for the City of Meridian. Now the minimum payment is this – this is that
$100,000 we talked about so obviously – and the way that we would propose it
would be that it would be the higher of either the minimum or this calculated
amount, so in this case for that five year period, it would be $1.4 million to the
City of Meridian rather than –
Bird: $250 to $60,000 per year.
Oaas: So, what – we then just added each five year period after that and you
can see what happens to the city’s portion of the – essentially it is a revenue
sharing agreement with the City of Meridian.
Wardle: Questions on the model?
Bird: Looks good to me.
Rountree: I am not too worried about 45 or 55 years from now. If in 35 years I
am still well enough to walk around it, I will be feeling good.
Wardle: One thing that we did want to address Council is that one of the things
that we have heard with the past tenant and the past lease that we had was that
it automatically renewed without really the City Council having an opportunity to
think in depth on this and hopefully this is forward thinking enough that if the
course does certainly what we think it is going to do then not only do we get a
nice minimum payment, which I feel is certainly fair, but there is the opportunity
for the city to have that additional revenue to pour back into youth programming
or any of the other things that could make it the best (inaudible).
Rountree: It is a great move forward.
Bird: Mr. President.
Wardle: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I think the thing we need to look at starting right now is every year that they
do the improvements puts money in the city’s pocket and just value if nothing
else. I mean that land definitely gets more valuable and it is like Dick was saying
privately owned, it is probably too expensive to be a golf course, but municipal
you can but that is the way that I look at it and I think 25 percent starting in 2035,
25 percent back in for capital improvement is a little investment for the city for
what they get out of it. I think it is a great extension to the contract. The public
should not have any problems with it.
Wardle: There is evidence by meaning this evening, the last time we had a
police negotiation with a former tenant we had a full room. This evening we have
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April 25, 2006
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you know – certainly there are people that are very interested, but I think it
shows good faith both on the city’s part and on Lake View’s part to trust in what
is happening and that things are going to continue to improve. Just from a
standpoint I think certainly the first thing we can do is accept the offer to come
out and tour the course when ready and I will work with the Clerk’s Office to do
that. Mr. Nary am I correct in assuming that we can with the Council’s approval
finalize the lease extension and bring that forward as a resolution?
Nary: Mr. President, members of the Council that is correct. If that is the
direction, we can have a resolution prepared and bring that forward.
Rountree: Do we need a motion in that affect?
Nary: Sure.
Rountree: Mr. Chairman, I move as such that we proceed with the finalization
with the lease agreement and prepare a resolution for Council’s consideration
and approval.
Bird: Second.
Rountree: Do you have a date certain in mind?
Bird: They are good through (inaudible).
Nary: Mr. President I am certain we can have it on by next Tuesday. If there is a
delay it would only be another week. But, we should have it by Tuesday.
Wardle: We have a motion and a second to bring forward a resolution to
approve golf course lease extension. Mr. Berg will you call roll please?
Roll Call: Rountree, aye; Bird, aye; Borton, aye; Wardle, aye.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
Wardle: Dick and Eric thank you very much for all your hard work.
Item 4. Executive Session per Idaho State Code 67-2345(1)(a) – (to
consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member or
individual agent, not to include. This paragraph does not apply to
filling a vacancy in an elective office) and (c) – (to conduct
deliberations concerning labor negotiations or to acquire an interest
in real property, which is not owned by a public agency):
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April 25, 2006
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Wardle: Executive Session 67-2345(1)(a) and (c).
Bird: So moved.
Rountree: Second.
Wardle: It’s been moved and seconded to adjourn into Executive Session. Mr.
Berg will you please call roll.
Roll Call: Bird, aye; Rountree, aye; Borton, aye; Wardle, aye.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
Wardle: Council I would accept a motion to come out of Executive Session.
Bird: Mr. President.
Wardle: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we adjourn out of the Executive Session.
Rountree: Second.
Wardle: It’s been moved and seconded to come out of Executive Session. All in
favor.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
Wardle: Just for the record, I will note that the Mayor joined us while in
Executive Session. Motion to adjourn.
Rountree: So moved.
Bird: Second.
Wardle: It’s been moved and seconded to adjourn. All those in favor.
ALL AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
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MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:24 P.M.
(TAPE ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS)
APPROVED:
/ /
TAMMY DE WEERD, MAYOR DATE APPROVED
ATTESTED: ___
WILLIAM G. BERG, JR., CITY CLERK