Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop announced Wednesday that there would be a change to the schedule for decisions regarding public golf in Columbus.
The city had previously indicated that resolutions recommending the closure of Greenbelt Golf Course would be presented to Columbus City Council on July 21 and the Columbus Parks and Recreation Board on Aug. 3.
Those resolutions will not be presented as planned. The Parks Board recently requested that two additional scenarios be added to the Community Golf Report for review by the members.
The Community Golf Report was commissioned to review the status of golf locally and also determine if the profitability of the city’s three course system could be improved though a variety of different scenarios. By giving equal weight to relative financial performance, mission, and tourism factors, a recommendation was made to close Greenbelt. This recommendation has been met with community feedback indicating mission is more important than financial or other factors so the city is taking some time to re-evaluate the path forward, city officials said in a news release.
In addition to expanding its review, the Columbus Parks Department will soon release a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from parties interested in operating Greenbelt. To allow for consideration of these additional scenarios and of any proposals that may be received, decisions regarding a change in the city’s golf offerings will be delayed approximately 60 days.
Details regarding the RFP process are scheduled to be released by the Parks Department on Friday, July 24.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
