BERKELEY – As spring brings some beautiful weather, township officials reminded the public of the municipal golf course which is earning a profit after the town contracted for the daily operation to a private company.
Atlantic Golf Management took over the course in 2018 after several years of it being in the red. The way it works is that the town still owns the course. They pay the management company and then the town gets 15% of all profit over $800,000, officials said.
“We made $270,000 on a something that was a loss leader six years ago,” Councilman John Bacchione said.
The course is located at the back of Veterans Park, off Veterans Boulevard. Its proximity to Cedar Creek has made drainage an expensive problem over the years.
The town still owns the property, equipment, and carts, Mayor Carmen Amato said. If there’s a major project that needs to be done on scene, the management company can pull staff from other courses and get the job done faster and more efficiently than a small group of township employees.
“We used to have a skeleton crew to keep the cost down so we didn’t have the manpower for huge projects,” he said.
At the time of the transition, there were nine people who worked for the Cedar Creek Golf Course. They interviewed for positions either elsewhere in town or for the new company.
In other news, the Township Council rejected bids for two projects: electrical work for a generator hook-up in Holiday City, and Main Street Park and Boat Ramp. Both projects will be rebid until they get offers that work.
The council also advertised for contractors to bid on drainage improvements, the reconstruction of Bananier Drive, and drainage on Butler Boulevard.
