City of Lindsay says golf course maintenance is unaffordable, potential business is hoping to lease

By Paul Myers

@PaulM_SGN

LINDSAY – The City of Lindsay has made some serious budgetary progress over the last year, unfortunately it has come at the cost of making some difficult decisions. The latest decision concerns the Lindsay 9-hole golf course. City manager Bill Zigler says the City has not made any formal decision on what to do with the long standing community pitch-and-putt, but maintaining the land is no longer affordable.

Zigler says the City spends about $44,000 per year in operations and about $14,000 per year cutting the grass and doing other odds and ends around the course.

“The City has been looking here at this and we just couldn’t continue doing it the way we’ve been doing it,” Zigler said.

Fortunately, Frank Arguellas who manages the concessions area is trying to find a way to take over operations. Right now he pays rent for the space he is also using to run a burrito business and might continue to do so even if the land is no longer a golf course. But if Arguellas can manage to take it over as a business the City would lease him the land at $1 per year.

Zigler added there are still several details for Arguellas to work out and an official decision will not be made right now, but he said he’ll know more next week. If Arguellas cannot take over the golf course the City will continue to water and mow the area to a minimum standard, instead of fallowing the entire lot.