BG City Urged to Reconsider Lease of 60 Acres for Country Club Golf Course – BG Independent News

By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN

BG Independent News

Citizen David Drain approached Bowling Green City Council, airing his concerns over the arrangement between the city and the BG Country Club Golf Course. Drain suggested to city leaders that they look into alternative uses for the acreage, citing the need to reconsider the property’s current purpose.

Drain emphasized the city’s financial assistance to the golf course, particularly in the form of partial property tax payments annually.

He urged, “I think we should consider better use of that property,” and questioned the necessity of maintaining two golf courses in Bowling Green. Drain’s proposal involved the initiation of conversations on finding other purposes for the land before the lease expires in two years.

The BG Country Club Golf Course, situated next to City Park in the center of Bowling Green, has been both a source of community pride and an object of criticism for its alleged exclusive use of public property.

The Bowling Green Country Club’s lease over the 60 acres will end in 2025. However, the country club already owns the roughly 1.5 acres where the pro shop and restaurant are situated on the north end of the course. Despite this, the general public is permitted to play on the course.

In 2016, when doubts were raised about the lease, then Mayor Dick Edwards defended the historical partnership. “This nearly 100-year private-public partnership has worked well for Bowling Green residents. They have benefited from a golf course for recreational purposes at reasonable rates, without city dollars being used for the maintenance and upkeep associated with the property,” said Edwards.

“The value added to the residents of Bowling Green by having the Bowling Green Country Club far exceeds the amount we pay in taxes for the site,” he remarked.

For a long time, the country club solely bore the property taxes for the golf course acreage. At one point, the payment was split between the country club and the city. More recently, the city took over the entire property tax payment – which tallies around $7,000 annually – at the country club’s request when its revenues declined.

Mayor Mike Aspacher assured that the city did extend its assistance to the country club when its revenues were down. However, he indicated an upward trend in the number of golfers utilizing the course.

BG Finance Director Dana Pinkert disclosed a memorandum of understanding, established in 2023, that mandated the golf course to pay 25% of the property taxes. The payment would rise by 25% each year, until the country club resumes full responsibility for the property tax payment in 2026, said Pinkert.

At the same council meeting, Wendy Manning presented updates on the ongoing efforts to establish a dog park closer to the center of Bowling Green, making it more convenient for dog owners in the area. The Citizens for BG Dog Parks Committee has been actively advocating for a dog park, participating in the Holiday Parade and organizing a “Photos with Santa” event to raise awareness and funds.

Additionally, a lease for utilizing a portion of Ridge Park as a dog park is in the works between the committee and city officials.

City Attorney Hunter Brown and City Council member Jeff Dennis arranged to discuss the term of the dog park lease at a later date.

During the same session, Lindsay Jo Durham relayed information about Transgender Day of Remembrance. While she addressed the council, a vigil was being held by the BGOPride organization at Wooster Green.

The day was established almost two decades ago to honor transgender individuals lost to violence.

“We need to push past simple remembrance and performative activism to push for changes to the narrative,” Durham urged. “For if we only honor the dead and not push for change or admit our own compliance in these structures that cause violence, we are doing nothing to help.”

“None of us are innocent,” she stated. “Our task is to move from sympathy to responsibility, from compliance to reflexivity, from witnessing to action. It is not enough to simply honor the memory of the dead – we must transform the practices of the living.”

Also raised during the meeting was a query for Municipal Utilities Director Brian O’Connell about the city’s use of a “clamshell” claw instead of a vacuum for collecting leaves in residential areas. O’Connell clarified that the claw enabled faster movement through neighborhoods, without causing damage to the street surface. He also described its dual purpose for snow removal.

Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter emphasized the city’s appeal to residents to consider maintaining their leaves instead of raking them for pickup.