Gannon lease up for bid

LYNN – A two-month long search by the city for a management firm to operate Gannon Municipal Golf Course is under way and Gannon’s long-time golf pro is not sure the search will benefit the course.Gannon Pro Michael Foster acknowledged he has not read the 73-page request for proposal that management companies interested in running Gannon will be able to respond to in September, but he is worried the proposal provides no guarantees for a firm to make a sustained investment in Gannon’s upkeep.”I’m very concerned about which direction it is heading. If a private contractor is picked, they’re going to want to make a profit,” Foster said.A schedule included in the proposal gives potential operators until Oct. 14 to submit proposals. An evaluation committee will conduct a 24-category review of submitted proposals and rank the proposals.City Purchasing Agent Charles White will pick at least three people to serve on the committee.”They will look at submissions and grade them accordingly,” said city Assistant Solicitor James Lamanna.Final authority on picking a firm to run the 18-hole, city-owned course located off Lynnfield Street lies with the city Board of Park Commissioners and Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who will sign a five-year lease with the successful applicant.The schedule calls for a management firm’s selection by Dec. 1 when the one-year lease between the Park Commission and the Gannon Building Association expires.The Association, a group of golfers and local residents involved for more than 10 years in Gannon’s operation, spent $714,000 — according to its most recent financial statement — on running Gannon and earned nearly $800,000 in revenue from memberships, green fees and beverage sales in the clubhouse bar.The Association paid the city $400,000 in rent this year and its members tried unsuccessfully in 2012 to reduce that amount, arguing that reduced rent payments would allow the Association to continue a long-held practice of investing Gannon revenues into major course and clubhouse improvements.Foster has worked as a pro at Gannon for 44 years and said the course needs more than $600,000 in long-term improvements, including a new irrigation system. The firm picked to run the course will be required to keep it in “good condition and order” and maintain the clubhouse, but it will not be required to undertake maintenance expenses exceeding $5,000.”The city, moving forward, will be responsible for major repairs,” Lamanna told golfers and residents attending a Tuesday park commission meeting.Foster does not think sufficient “pre planning” by the city will occur to ensure major expenses at Gannon get covered under the new operations arrangement.”I’ll be very skeptical to see it work properly,” he said.Park Commission Chairman Steven Babbitt acknowledged long-term maintenance is a top concern for Gannon members. He said city officials should craft a golf course master plan outlining future course needs and improvements.”The big concern is capital improvements and how they are going to be funded,” he said.Ward 1 City Councilor Wayne Lozzi said the request for proposal is written to ensure that Gannon is well maintained.”Ten years ago or more, there were problems at this course. No one wants to see a return to that,” he stated during Tuesday’s meeting.The request for proposal specifies hours for year-round clubhouse food and beverage service and guarantees practice and play times for public school golf teams. It prohibits any increase in membership rates or fees without written park commission consent.Lamanna on Wednesday said current membership rates are “set in stone” for 2014. Firms applying to run Gannon are even encouraged to expand a long-time winter tradition at the course — sledding.Gannon Building Association members could not be reached for comment Wednesday about a possible Association proposal submission. Foster reported a $7,684 loss on Gannon pro shop and related operations for 2013, according to a stateme