{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 1, "text": "ALAMEDA GOLF COMMISSION\nMINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING\nWednesday, January 19, 2011\n1\nCALL TO ORDER\nChair Jane Sullwold called the regular meeting to order at 6:40 p.m. at the Chuck\nCorica Golf Complex, Ladies Lounge, 1 Clubhouse Memorial Road, Alameda, CA\n94502\n1-A\nROLL CALL\nPresent:\nChair Jane Sullwold, Commissioner Ray Gaul, Commissioner\nBill Schmitz, Commissioner Betsy Gammell, and Commissioner\nJeff Wood\nAbsent:\nNone\nStaff:\nNone\nAlso Present:\nNone\n1-B\nAPPROVAL OF MINUTES\nThe Minutes of December 15, 2010 were approved unanimously\n1-C\nADOPTION OF AGENDA\nThe Commission unanimously adopted the agenda.\n2\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS\nNone.\n3\nCOMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS\nChair Sullwold: \"I will just state, as I think I did earlier, again Dale Lillard attempted\nto disrupt our process for preparing the draft minutes for submission to the\nCommission for approval. Again, I was able to convince Lisa Goldman, the Acting\nCity Manager, that our process was perfectly legal and we should be able to follow it\nand she conceded to that. On the other hand, our parking spaces were summarily\nremoved without any notice, even though they've been in existence, I've been\ninformed by Lil Arnerich, since the 1950's. In addition, as Bill noted, there is no\nrepresentative here from Kemper nor is there anyone here from the City. I sent an\nemail to Lisa Goldman asking her how we were expected to fulfill the specific duties\nthat were outlined in the Municipal Code Section setting up the Golf Commission,\nwhich allows the Golf Commission or gave the Golf Commission the power to seek\nreports from the General Manager of the Golf Complex. And since, of course, we\n1\nGolf Commission Minutes - Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 2, "text": "cannot receive reports other than in a public meeting pursuant to the Brown Act, I\nasked her how it is we are expected to fulfill our duties. And her response was, 'you\nwill get written reports from John Vest and Matt Wisely regarding the operations and\nthe maintenance activities at the Golf Complex, and in your meeting you can ask\nquestions on the record as to what follow up questions you might have about those\nitems. John and Matt will listen to the tape and will then respond in writing to any\nquestions that we raise at the meeting itself.' And that cumbersome procedure is\nnow, according to the City Manager, the procedure that we are to follow from now\non. I am totally offended, I am appalled at this attempt to marginalize the Golf\nCommission, but I'm damned if I'm going to resign, which is what I think this is all\ndesigned to do. So I hope the rest of you are listening. We're not resigning.'\nCommissioner Gaul: \"I considered it, but I changed my mind. It only has to do with\nthe way the City Council is behaving.\"\n4\nWRITTEN/ORAL REPORTS\n4-A Golf Complex Maintenance activities report by Matt Wisely\nWritten report was submitted by Matt Wisely (attached).\n4-B\nGolf Shop and Driving Range activities report by John Vest\nWritten report was submitted by John Vest (attached).\nChair Sullwold: \"I noticed that there was little discussion, if any -- in fact, none --\nabout the results of operations in terms of rounds played and revenues generated in\nthe month of December or any explanation as to how that month compared to the\nprevious month or to the month last year. I found that to be a pretty substantial\nabsence from that report. Does anybody else have any other questions? I suspect\nthat we're going to have to get used to this format and dig into it to see whether we\nreally do have any questions.\" Commissioner Schmitz: \"In the future, in this format,\nwhere we don't have a representative here, I think we really should have a list of\nabout 100 or so questions that they can respond to in a written, if they want to do\nthis by paper, then we can do that. Even at the meetings, there's a lot of questions\ncome up, so if they want to spend, you know, 20 hours a week answering questions\nfrom the public and from the Golf Commission in writing, then, if that's the format\nthey choose, we can do that.\" Chair Sullwold: \"I'm actually somewhat at a loss\nabout why this even came about. I know that the meeting that we had last January,\nwhich was the meeting after the Mif Albright surprise recommendation by the City\nManager when we were all so taken aback by the fact that the numbers purportedly\nshowed a huge loss on the Mif Albright course, when in fact, John had been telling\nus all along that everything was on target -- and that January meeting, John was not\nthere and Matt was the only one here, and we confronted him with a lot of questions,\nand perhaps made him uncomfortable. I am not aware of any meeting since then\nwhere anyone from Kemper has been made uncomfortable. Am I missing\nsomething? Does anybody think that we've, I'm not even talking about.\n\"\n2\nGolf Commission Minutes Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 3, "text": "Commissioner Schmitz: \"I think we can, I mean I have my opinion on these things,\nand it's certainly my opinion, and until we get a representative from the City to\nexplain this to us, then it's all speculation on our part. I think this is a City condition.\nThe structure is that there's a representative under Park and Rec, that the Park and\nRec Direction be should be here or his designee, we would prefer that it would be\nsomebody that's a hands on in charge of the Golf Course, a Golf Pro or Golf\nManager, whether it be Kemper or whoever it may be, that's what we'd prefer to\nhave. In their absence, if they've made that policy decision for whatever reason that\nKemper's not going to be here, then the City has a responsibility to have a member\nof their staff here so we can accept these things. If we're going to do all of this in\npaper, then it's going to be a very labor intensive, I don't know that exactly where\nand with the new Administration in the City, if they were part of this policy change or\nnot, but I would like to hear their side. I think that'a reasonable request. I guess at\nthis point, we're going to have to put that in writing. I would just like to have\nsomebody here.\" Commissioner Gammell: \"I think a lot of questions we've had\nhave been cleared up at the meetings.\" Commissioner Gaul: \"Why don't we make a\nmotion?'\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"My motion would be to request to the City that we have a\nrepresentative from the City, or preferably a Golf Manager here, it's their prerogative,\nI guess, if they don't want to have a Golf Manager, if they want to send someone\nfrom Park and Rec here, somebody with reasonable knowledge of what we're doing,\nso that's my motion.\" Commissoner Gaul: \"I second.\"\nChair Sullwold: \"Any further discussion? Ok, it's been moved and seconded that we\nmake a formal written request to the City that we have a representative here,\npreferably from golf management, but, if not from golf management, then from the\nCity's Park and Rec Dept, or Rec and Park Dept to participate in our Golf\nCommission meetings on a regular basis. Commissioner Schmitz: \"Which is what\nthey do with every other commission in the City. They have somebody from the City\nstaff.\" The motion passed unanimously.\nChair Sullwold: \"Ok, do you want me to write a letter to the City Manager and copy\nthe Council?\" [Unanimous assent.]\nChair Sullwold: \"Ok, anything else on John Vest's report?\" Commissioner Gammell:\n\"I just wanted to say that on Sales and Marketing, I did talk to him, which I will do\nbefore we have a meeting, and that the particularly good thing that's happened is\nthis 10 cart play pass, and he's very happy with the results of that.\" Chair Sullwold:\n\"So that gives 10 rounds with carts for $280 for residents and $320 for non-\nresidents.\" Commissioner Gammell: \"Right, and $100 for seniors and $130 for non-\nresident seniors. And he said they're using carts when they don't have to so they're\nusing the card up faster.\"\n3\nGolf Commission Minutes Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 4, "text": "4-C\nBeautification Program and Junior Golf Club by Mrs. Norma Arnerich\nNone. Mrs. Arnerich is recovering from surgery, and the Golf Commissioners sent\nher their best wishes for a speedy recovery.\n4-D\nGolf Complex Restaurant Report, Jim's on the Course\nWritten report was submitted by Jim's on the Course (attached).\n5\nAGENDA ITEMS\n5-A Status Report on Long Term Lease and Mif Albright Negotiations\nincluding Golf Commission recommendations\nCommissioner Gammell: \"First of all, I knew there was a meeting of the non-profit\ngroup, mainly Jane and Joe, met with some of the Junior Board members, and since\nNorma wasn't able, our Vice President Bill Wehr was there, and they met about,\nwell, I wasn't there, but I have knowledge of what they met about. Dale Lillard called\nme today to ask me what was happening with the Mif, did the Junior Board say\nforget it, I said, no, absolutely not as far as the non-profit went. And, so, he asked\nme questions, so I told him the same thing. He hadn't heard from Joe or Jane. I\nsaid I'm sure you'll hear from them and that he should call Bill Wehr. He said that's\na good idea, he'd do that. So, I said, are we still having the special meeting on\nJanuary 25th, and he said, yes, but there'll be a closed session first, and then the\nmeeting. And I said, I hope it's not really late, because I'm going on vacation. And\nhe said, well he'd hope not, too, because he was paying for them to come from\nChicago. And, I thought yeah, that's out of our golf fund. So Kemper is coming and\nthey will discuss the different options and then the City Council will take it under\nadvisement and we'll go from there.\" Tim Scates: \"So, for my understanding, is\nKemper going to present options or the one they prefer?\" Commissioner Gammell:\n\"I would assume the one they prefer, maybe, they might say we'll do this or this, and\nthen the City Council will make a decision. And he did mention the 27 holes was\ndefinitely one of the options.\"\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"So, we should get that report the Thursday before.\" Chair\nSullwold: \"Not necessarily, because it's a special meeting, and special meetings\nrequire only 24 hours notice under the Brown Act, so, if possible, although the\nSunshine Task Force recommended that all special meetings also be given 72 hours\nnotice. That was one of their central recommendations when they concluded their\nwork. So, it's not clear when it will be on the agenda.'\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"Well, that will be our first clue as to what will be proposed\nTuesday night will be the written report. It may not be that specific, it could be very\nvague. It could include a draft contract attached to it, but it could not also. But, that\nwill be our first indication of what's being proposed. We should be able to get that\nbefore the meeting, ideally we could get that tomorrow.\" Chair Sullwold: \"Since it's\nan outside entity and not a City staff recommendation, it's possible that it will simply\n4\nGolf Commission Minutes -Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 5, "text": "say, 'Hear from Kemper as to its ideas about the Chuck Corica Golf Complex, and\nthere will be no report. It's very possible. It may be, that they're not City staff,\nthey're not obligated to submit an advance copy of their report. So, it may be that\nwhat we get an agenda item that says 'Listen to a report from KemperSports\nregarding its ideas and concepts for the Chuck Corica Golf Complex, and nothing\nmore. That's what Bob predicts -- that we won't get anything at all before the\nmeeting, that we'll have to go there and be surprised. I think we need to, obviously,\ngather the troops. I hesitated to do it too early, you don't want to let people too early\nbecause they lose their focus. Is there any way you can change the Men's Club\nmeeting? Commissioner Schmitz: \"I don't know that it's necessary to change the\nmeeting. I think we need to rally the troops once again, including Junior Golf,\nincluding Alameda High, including the Men's Club, including the Commuters. I think\nwe need to fill the Council chambers. Chair Sullwold: \"We need to show that we\ncare about what happens with this Golf Complex. We can't lose our momentum.\nI\nknow we've done it about eight times, and it's very frustating that nothing happens\nand I think they're trying to wear us down.\"\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"The message has been clear by all the stakeholders at this\ngolf course that they want 36 holes and they want the Mif Albright course. I think,\nonce again, that we need to line up the speakers and say that.'\nChair Sullwold: \"I have an email list consisting of all the people who've pledged\nsupport for the Mif Albright, and I will be sending out an email, hopefully tonight, to\nthem as well as all the women in the Women's Golf Club, and mentioning it\ntomorrow in the general meeting of the Women's Golf Club. It's important to get a\nlot of people there and be willing to put in a speaker slip even if all you do is stand\nand say I believe two 18 hole courses and the Mif Albright Par 3 where it is. We\nneed lots of people. I think that they don't listen to me anymore is the problem.\"\nCommissioner Gammell: \"I think l'll get up and say, \"How can you possibly lose park\nland.'\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"It's cumulative. I think who makes the impact is when the\nAlameda High Girls team gets up in their jackets. It's hard for Council members, and\nyou've got some new ones there, they look out there and everybody out there has a\nunified message.\"\nUnknown asked: \"Does anyone know his [Councilmember Bonta's] position on any\nof this?\" Chair Sullwold: \"He had a meeting with Joe, Tony and me after the\nelection, but before he took office, and it lasted a couple of hours, and we presented\nhim with a lot ot material. He didn't express any positions, but he was very up to\nspeed already, asked some really good questions, asked for some more information,\nwhich we forwarded to him after the meeting.\"\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"I think, unfortunately, I know we've done this time and time\nagain, but I think we have to do this again. I think that the Mayor at the last Council\nmeeting that Jane and I were at, she did express frustration that this has not been\nresolved and let's get this done. She directed the City Manager to move forward on\n5\nGolf Commission Minutes -Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 6, "text": "this so we can have a meeting on the 25th. Whatever is going to happen, I think,\nthey maybe do it in front of the golf community.\" Chair Sullwold: \"They darn well\nbetter present their piece before the public comments start, because if they ask for\npublic comment before they even, I mean, that's one of my frustrations, they have\npublic comment, they close public comment, then they start discussing things and\nget things wrong and there's no opportunity as we saw December 7th for anybody to\ncorrect them, because they won't listen to anybody who wants to correct them.\nI\nactually expressed my views to Marie Gilmore that night saying that there's\nsomething dreadfully wrong with the process whereby you can't get input into issues\nonce you start discussing them from the people that elected you. But, certainly, I'm\nhoping at least Kemper will give its presentation, there'll be some preliminary\ndiscussion from the Council and then they'li open it for public comment. But, I think\nwe need to get everybody up there to say, if they're thinking 27 holes is the great\nsolution for the golf complex, we've got to get people to say that's just ridiculous.\nWe have a Par 3. We have a charitable foundation that's willing to put out more\nthan half the cost of improving the Par 3 to the point that it's going to be a really nice\nlittle course. Why do we need to spend $1,000,000 of our money to build a new Par\n3, and ruin, in the process, nine holes of one of our regulation courses. That's a\nmessage. The only way you do 27 holes and a new Par 3 is if the Mif is gone and I\nthink the message has come clear that everybody wants the Mif, but I also think\ncertain people on the Council think if we give you another Par 3, then we solved all\nyour problems. And I don't think there's been enough before them saying forget it,\nwe need both of our 18 hole courses.\"\nCommissioner Gammell: \"We've talked a lot about that, Jane, about needing the\nCommuters, the Junior Golf, they've heard that. I've talked about it.\" Chair Sullwold:\n\"And the point that you said you're going to make, Betsy, is: to do something that\ncloses the Mif and gives it to developers is betraying the representations that we\nmade to the Alameda Court system when we acquired this property in the 40's in the\nfirst place. We told them we needed it for public park lands. And that was the\npremise under which we got it. To give it to a developer is just a betrayal.\nUnfortunately, Terri Highsmith is the one that gave the legal advice that it requires\nan open meeting and a vote of four of five of the Council members to do that.\nMaybe they'll find a new City Attorney who'll have a different interpretation of that.'\n5-B\nUpdate on Golf Complex Finances\nChair Sullwold: \"As you can see, we don't have our usual financial director here.\nBob is in trial and did not have the opportunity to evaluate all the information that\nwas contained in the packet. Suffice it to say, that the little report that is included\nfrom John Vest and the City says a lot of it. The interesting thing to me is, it's\nastonishing to me that the rounds keep going down month after month.\"\nCommissioner Schmitz: \"We had pretty bad weather, it's been cold, and that affects\nthe golf this time of year.\" Chair Sullwold: \"But the problem is that we've had bad\nweather in other Decembers, too. What's different now?\"\n6\nColf Commission Minutes -Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 7, "text": "Commissioner Schmitz: \"We had really bad weather this December, and generally\nit's in January, and that affects the golf this time of year.\" Chair Sullwold:\n\"Unfortunately, we are draining money from the Enterprise Fund, another $100,000.\nBut, even before the City's takeaway, there was a net operating loss for December.\"\n6.\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA (Public Comment)\nNone\n7.\nOLD BUSINESS\nNone\n8.\nWRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS\nIncluded in the Commission packet was a memorandum to the Finance Department\nshowing a surcharge payment for December 2010 of $3,955. The year-to-date total\nto the General Fund is $52,813 for FY 2010/2011.\n9.\nITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING'S AGENDA\nStatus Report on Long Term Lease and Mif Albright Negotiations including Golf\nCommission recommendations, if any\nUpdate on Golf Complex Finances\n10.\nANNOUNCEMENTS/ADJOURNMENT\nThe meeting was adjourned at 7:18 p.m.\nThe agenda for the meeting was posted 72 hours in advance in accordance with the Brown\nAct.\n7\nGolf Commission Minutes-Wednesday, January 19, 2011", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}
{"body": "GolfCommission", "date": "2011-01-19", "page": 8, "text": "", "path": "GolfCommission/2011-01-19.pdf"}