Country club accepts bid from city

FLORENCE - Golf is out. Trash is in.

Owners of the Florence Golf and Country Club late Thursday approved a more than $2 million offer from the city to purchase the West Florence property, pending approval by the City Council — and marking the end of the state's second-oldest country club. "They're very sad it had to come to this, but they didn't see any alternative," said Norman Ross, part of the group formed to pursue the sale.

The city offered $2,030,400 for the property — made up of an 18-hole golf course, $1.8 million clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis courts — with the intention of expanding the city's landfill if and when required permits are issued by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

The club's membership has been sagging in recent years thanks to more competition in the area and a souring economy that has depleted the disposable income necessary for, perhaps, the most wallet-draining sport out there.

Club members have long been forced to deflect rumors of its closure. In 2005, the current owners paid more than $1 million to save the then-struggling club.

That's why the decision was not surprising to longtime members of the club, which has been at its present spot since 1927.

But Jimmy Rogers, president of the club's board of directors, is vexed by the property's fate.

"I definitely am disappointed they're turning it into a dump, but at the same time I understand why the owners did what they did," he said, citing financial issues.

Rogers said he started playing the course some 30 years ago, growing attached to the game that now takes up his time when he's not fishing.

"It sure is going to be weird," he said. "You get used to driving out here three or four times a week. It's going to feel really different playing somewhere else. The course has been there for so long."

Rogers said he doesn't know how much longer the course will stay open and added he will meet with city officials to determine scheduling.

Mayor Bobby Irons said he and City Attorney Billy Musgrove were responsible for developing the city's offer, which he said was the appraised value of the property.

In an e-mail notifying council members of the deal, Musgrove wrote, "The owners of the Florence Country Club contacted the Mayor this morning and informed him that they would accept the City's proposal to purchase the Club property for $2,030,400.00. The purchase will have to be approved by the City Council and will be contingent on satisfactory results from title examination, survey, and various environmental assessments to be performed by the City during a due diligence period prior to closing."

Irons said they have no intention of using the entire property for an expanded landfill but does not yet know what they will do with the rest of it or whether they will incorporate the clubhouse into future plans.

Regardless, golf appears dead at the site.

"There was no intent in the offer that it would be used for a golf course," he said, adding it would not make sense financially for the city to maintain the course while already subsidizing Blackberry Trail Golf Course.

He said he would like to see the matter go before the council at its next meeting Nov. 17.

Critics already are planning on attending the meeting; some to voice environmental objections and others who are aghast at the prospect of turning a golf course — and all its green property — into a resting place for garbage.

"Well, that's something that we'll deal with if that comes to bear," Irons said of the criticism. "The city has always been good stewards when it comes to environmental issues. The city cannot put anything on that property without following all of ADEM's environmental regulations."

Sanitation experts have said the city can squeeze at least seven more years out of the 70-acre landfill at Savannah Highway and Waterloo Road.

City leaders, including the mayor, have said the landfill expansion could save the city millions of dollars compared to building a transfer station, which they believe will cause collection rates to increase.

Money is already budgeted for the country club purchase from a more than $3 million enterprise fund in the city's solid waste budget.

Council members supported the mayor while he tailored the proposal, but some say they still need more information about the development.

"I'm not going to support any issues that involve the landfill until I have lots of questions answered," Councilman Andy Betterton said.

Among those questions are the future of the clubhouse, what portion of the property would be used for the landfill and the environmental ramifications of such growth.

There is no guarantee ADEM will award the city the permit needed to operate the property as a landfill, either. Regulations have become far more stringent since the city's current landfill was approved.

Irons indicated that if the city did not obtain such a permit, he would prefer they put the property up for sale again.

Unlike more modern golf havens, the Florence club's course is designed to favor a well-refined short game rather than cater to those who just pummel drives from the tee box.

Ed Barney, a former Florence schools superintendant, has played the course since 1993. He says it can't be duplicated.

"Well, it's a sad day," he said. "The course has always been a historical part of this community. Of course, there's a lot of good memories. I've always had a great relationship with all the people there."

The club has been in its final stretch for months, closing its restaurant and downsizing the pro shop in an effort to focus primarily on the course.

And the property is attractive for developers, with its waterfront view of Cypress Creek and it's location as a gateway to West Florence, where city planners anticipate the majority of the city's growth taking place.

The city presented the most substantial offer, according to those familiar with the sale.

Other potential suitors were the University of North Alabama and William Keelon, owner of an assisted-living community in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

Keelon presented the lone other offer, which he said was conditioned on the city not submitting a bid.

"I just didn't want to get in a bidding war with the city," he said. "The city probably needs it more than I do. I only made an offer under the premise that the city didn't want it."

He didn't reveal how much he was willing to pay but said it was less than the city offered.

Though questions still remain, council members, at least initially, appear supportive of the deal.

"There's a lot of things we could use that property for," Councilman Dick Jordan said, adding he would like to look into the possibility of UNA student housing or classes at the clubhouse.

Some questioned the practicality of multiple uses on property dominated by a landfill, however.

"Who would want that clubhouse when it's surrounded by a landfill?" asked Charles Rose, president of the Shoals Environmental Alliance and one of the most vocal critics of landfill growth there.

Jordan said a geological feasibility study is needed to ensure a landfill will be sustainable. He said it was not necessary before a council vote, though.

The country club's president, however, is expecting a group even more despondent than golfers.

"My disappointment is going to be secondary," Rogers said, "compared to what the poor people across the creek are going to be smelling."

Brian Hughes can be reached at 740-5720 or brian.hughes@TimesDaily.com.