Oro Valley To Make Cost Saving Moves To Reduce Golf Course Losses

The Town Of Oro Valley is planning to announce cost savings moves to its owned golf courses to members over the next several week.

Golf and restaurants continue to be money losers
As LOVE (and only LOVE) has reported, the golf and restaurant losses since the town has taken over these facilities has been enormous (read previous LOVE postings).  These planed changes are projected to save the town almost $470,000 over the remaining 7 fiscal months. That level will merely lesson  a bit but not negate the significant losses these facilities are accruing.

The changes were not made available until after the November election yet most certainly must have been planned for months.

Coming Changes
The changes, according to a November 13 Troon document, are

• The "gourmet' restaurant, the Overlook will close monday's  and reduce operating hours on other days.
• The garden cafe will close
• Beverage cart operating hours will be cut in half
• The golf shop will close Mondays and reduce operating hours on other days
• The golf course will close Mondays

Caton steps up
For the first time, Town Manager Caton, one of the architects of the purchase of the facility, has publicly recognized that losses on the facility are even worse than planned:

"...revenues at the facility have been trending under budget and expenses have been trending above budget for the first several months of this fiscal year."

As recently as October the Majority-4 members of council urged caution on revising planned spending on the golf course. Council Member Hornat, in particular, urged that a full year of operations be in place before it is even determined that spending changes should be implemented.

Nothing has changed
The trend of this purchase being an even wider financial burden on the community is real. Cost cutting is a good thing in this instance. We expect, however, that much more will be required.

For another perspective read the Arizona Daily Independent.