New maintenance model revolutionary, parks chief says

[Jud_T]

Modesto Bee: Golf course plan a mystery: New maintenance model revolutionary, parks chief says
2010-02-22 17:01:26.334 GMT


By Leslie Albrecht
The Modesto Bee, Calif.
     Feb. 22--Modesto needs more green to keep its golf greens
going, and officials say they have a plan to make that happen.
     The City Council's Finance Committee will get a look
tonight at a proposal to save maintenance costs at the city's
three public golf courses. Officials have considered closing
the courses, which cost Modesto about $2.2 million a year.
     The city's golf course maintenance contractor,
ValleyCrest, says it can save Modesto $288,000 next budget
year, but "provide equal or better maintenance," according to a
city staff report.
     How is that possible?
     Parks and Recreation Director Julie Hannon said she wants
to keep the plan under wraps until tonight's meeting. "It's
going to revolutionize the whole golf course maintenance
model," she said. "Golf course maintenance hasn't been changed
in 200 years, and this is going to do that."
     No, they are not going to use goats to trim the grass,
Hannon said. If the mystery plan works, it could move the
city's three golf courses out of the budget rough.
     Modesto raised fees last year at the Municipal Golf Course
and its two 18-hole courses, Dryden and Creekside. Officials
hoped the fee boost would eliminate the need to use general
fund dollars for golf course upkeep. The general fund is the
money the city sets aside to pay for services such as police,
fire and parks.
     The fee increase didn't bring in the needed revenue, so
the council cut back on maintenance costs, trimming
ValleyCrest's contract by $102,715.
     But expenses are still outpacing revenues. ValleyCrest's
new cost-cutting plan could keep the courses open and eliminate
the need to use general fund dollars, Hannon said.
     The Finance Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. today in council
chambers, basement level, 1010 10th St.

[Tom_Doak]

Robot mowers?  They're eliminating payroll?

[Tom Dunne]

The suspense is killing me! 

[jeffwarne]

So they're going to revolutionize the industry and trim $288,000 from a 2.2 million dollar deficit...
so they'll only be losing $1.9 million annually on 3 courses.
 

Not sure any advice they have is worth listening to, but if it doesn't pan out they have a future in California (or federal) government

[Jeff_Brauer]

I have seen robot mowers demoed. One company puts a humanish looking looking device on the seat. When asked what it was like to have robot looking back at you with a blank stare, the super said, "Not much different than my typical employee on Saturday morning!"

FYI, Valley Crest does pride itself on being able to cut costs by about that much.  Usually they do that in the sales process. Maybe they got the job and then started to put together their plan for cost savings.  I don't think its earth beating, but they have national purchasing power, maintenance "systems" etc. that are efficient. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

[Greg Chambers]

So they're going to cut $288,000 out of the budget for 3 courses, and they call that groundbreaking?  BFD.  I've cut that much over the past three seasons and I run one course.  Not that groundbreaking IMO.  Bunch of political BS if you ask me.

[Tim Nugent]

It sounds as if VC is already under contract.  Let's see??? Raising rates didn't help, VC could cut their fee or reduce expenses.  Not knowing the the balance sheet, one can only speculate. Being a private contractor, they could easily cut expenses by 10%.  With the unemployment in CA, I'm sure they could "restructure" compensation packages (unless there is a Union deal in place, then all bets are off).

 Do you think, in an effort to save green, you will see more brown?  I would be amazed if they suggest cutting rates to get more players.  A tee time is like an airline seat. Once the plane takes off, it can never sell that seat.  If they sold it for half rate at the last minute, that would still be 1/2 more than they would have gotten otherwise.

[TEPaul]

"Robot mowers?  They're eliminating payroll?"


Come on Tom, you're not being very nice to Robots. They have feelings and have to eat too you know. Some of my best friends are Robots.

[Charlie Goerges]

Just wait until the robots organize and push for higher wages. They can strike for as long as it takes without risking starvation. Of course they have to become self-aware first, but once that happens, say goodbye to reasonable greenfees.

[Steve Okula]

"Golf course maintenance hasn't been changed
in 200 years..."

You have GOT to be kidding.

[Pete_Pittock]

http://www.ci.modesto.ca.us/sirepub/cache/2/igeab53lust5md55s4ywoo3r/7234402222010115505109.PDF

Agreement between Modesto and Valley Crest.

[Kyle Harris]

"Golf course maintenance hasn't been changed
in 200 years..."

You have GOT to be kidding.

Haven't you heard of the Banner Maxx containers that they dug up on the Links at Leith? Carbon dated 200 years!

[John Mayhugh]

The mystery continues......
http://www.modbee.com/2010/02/22/1059921/finance-panel-oks-mystery-golf.html

[John Gosselin]

Cutting cost by 10 - 20% and expected to maintain the same quality....what so revolutionary about that? Seems to be more the norm these days

[Bill Rocco]

Maybe they are spraying Civitas....does not get any more secret than that since no one knows what Civitas is good for, you might as well spray it for everything (heard people say it is good on dollar spot, Anthracnose, Dollar Spot Brown Patch, Spring Leaf Spot, Grey Leaf Spot, Fusarium Patch, Leaf Spot, Powdery Mildew, Grey Snow Mold, and Pink Snow Mold). One chemical to fix every problem THAT WILL SAVE MONEY

[Ian Larson]

I thought the big management companies were always about producing a good product for the least amount of money. So if Valley Crest can cut $288,000 from a contract and STILL guarantee that conditions will remain the same....why wasn't this money cut a long time ago?  Doesn't that say that maybe they have been charging the city a little too much on the contract from the beginning and they haven't been completely efficient in the operations management?

An average of $95,000 a year from each of the 3 courses is a chunk that are already averaging $700,000 each in a year. So now they are roughly being chopped down to $600,000 for golf courses that operate 12 months of the year. Breaking it down to $150,000 a quarter and $50,000 a month. That's really really bare bones, heck it's probably removing the bones.

It will be interesting to see what is so secret and revolutionary for sure. With labor always being the biggest line item my guess is that they get super creative with the hours worked in maintenance? Whatever it is they do i guess they deserve some credit if they actually do pull off the same standard of quality laid out in the contract. If not...does the city of Modesto reserve the right to drop Valley Crest?

[Craig Sweet]

Heck, close one course and they will save more..

[Mike Nuzzo]

Why weren't they doing this mystery thing last week?
Why did it take a city council meeting to cough up the savings?

Maybe they read Don Mahaffey's 19 things you can do to save and they don't want to give him credit.

[jeffwarne]

Modesto Bee: Golf course plan a mystery: New maintenance model revolutionary, parks chief says
2010-02-22 17:01:26.334 GMT


By Leslie Albrecht
The Modesto Bee, Calif.
     Feb. 22--Modesto needs more green to keep its golf greens
going, and officials say they have a plan to make that happen.
     The City Council's Finance Committee will get a look
tonight at a proposal to save maintenance costs at the city's
three public golf courses. Officials have considered closing
the courses, which cost Modesto about $2.2 million a year.
     The city's golf course maintenance contractor,
ValleyCrest, says it can save Modesto $288,000 next budget
year, but "provide equal or better maintenance," according to a
city staff report.
     How is that possible?
     Parks and Recreation Director Julie Hannon said she wants
to keep the plan under wraps until tonight's meeting. "It's
going to revolutionize the whole golf course maintenance
model," she said. "Golf course maintenance hasn't been changed
in 200 years, and this is going to do that."
     No, they are not going to use goats to trim the grass,
Hannon said. If the mystery plan works, it could move the
city's three golf courses out of the budget rough.
     Modesto raised fees last year at the Municipal Golf Course
and its two 18-hole courses, Dryden and Creekside. Officials
hoped the fee boost would eliminate the need to use general
fund dollars for golf course upkeep. The general fund is the
money the city sets aside to pay for services such as police,
fire and parks.
     The fee increase didn't bring in the needed revenue, so
the council cut back on maintenance costs, trimming
ValleyCrest's contract by $102,715.
     But expenses are still outpacing revenues. ValleyCrest's
new cost-cutting plan could keep the courses open and eliminate
the need to use general fund dollars, Hannon said.
     The Finance Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. today in council
chambers, basement level, 1010 10th St.

I'm just sunned they "cost the city $2.2 million a year" and are not considering closing one + implementing the magic cost savings.
They're obviously not full, or they're not charging enough.
What finance council allows a "secret" plan that only saves 10% of the deficit issue, without even getting details about it.

Is the management company afraid someone will come in and lose $1.2 million a year if they reveal thier "competitive advantage"?

[Pete_Pittock]

Reading the pros and cons of municipal golf courses in the latest Golfweek, I wondered whatever happened down in Modesto and what revolutionary changes were implemented. A news article this last week says that none of the three courses were closed, and the the contractor had cut costs, but not what was done

http://www.modbee.com/2010/05/04/1154408/deal-helps-muni-dodge-closure.html

An article last year said that ValleyCrest had saved $100000 at another area course, with the majority coming from eliminating tree care.
If thats the case they are just deferring maintenance and they'll have a headache later on and someone else will have to deal with the problem.

[Tim Nugent]

For $7/rnd (9-holes) the golfers are lucky if the course is mowed.  When muni's give away golf at below the cost of operation, beware.