The Portland, Maine course has lost nearly $200,000 over the past 10 years, for which taxpayers foot the bill. The course has seen membership drop from 800 in 2002 to 400 currently.
The city of Portland in Maine has hired a consultant to figure out how to make Riverside Municipal Golf Course profitable, New England Cable News reported.
The city-owned course has lost nearly $200,000 in the last 10 years and Portland taxpayers make up the deficit each year. The consultant told the public in a meeting on July 25 that the city would have to spend money to make money with regular maintenance, repairs and infrastructure improvements, New England Cable News reported.
“We have a great story to tell at Riverside and we’re probably not doing as good a job with that; some of that is budget-related and fiscal-related,” said Mike Bobinsky, Director of Public Services.
In 2002, Riverside had 800 members, but it now has only 400. The consultant introduced options for the course, including privatizing the course’s operation or leasing it, New England Cable News reported.
Nancy Caprio, a regular golfer at Riverside for 30 years, said she didn’t know the course was losing money, but she wants it to stay in the hands of the city.
“We have baseball fields, hockey. We need this—for so many people this is their recreation. They are taxpayers and they deserve it,” Caprio said.
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