London Grove tweaks agreement with Inniscrone management team
10/11/2016 01:54PM ● By Richard Gaw
By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer
About halfway through the London Grove Board of Supervisors' Oct. 5 meeting, the board gave approval to the design of a new roof at the township-owned Inniscrone Golf Course – not to exceed $2,500. Later on, the board agreed to table a decision on whether or not to upgrade the paving of cart paths on the course, until next spring.
The golf course appeared on the agenda once more, and this time it was a decision that will influence the financial picture of where the course will be headed in the next five years.
The township approved a request by the Heathland Hospitality Group, the course's management company, to amend its five-year contract with the township, to include an amendment that states that if an annual audit determines that the course has endured a financial loss for the preceding year, that Heathland will pay the township 50 percent of the loss, up to a maximum amount of $10,000, and that the township will be responsible for paying the remainder of the loss to Heathland within 30 days of the audit.
It's a change to a five-year contract that the township signed with Heathland when it came on board as the management team of the course in 2011. The contract expires on Dec. 31, 2017.
“Right now, for whatever the loss is after $10,000, we have to absorb it,” said board chairman Richard Scott-Harper. “One of the things we explored was to incentivize Heathland to make a profit, and the answer, legally, is 'No.' We can't give them a percentage of the profit, or a bonus. It's illegal to do that. This was the fist step in trying to balance the scales, in an existing agreement.”
A second amendment to the agreement, also agreed to by the supervisors, states that for every year of the Heathland contract, Heathland wil use an independent auditor to conduct an audit of Healthland's books and records regarding its management of Inniscrone.
In other township news, the board received an updated building progress report, updated construction schedule and site work costs for the Department of Public Works' new maintenance building on Rose Hill Road, that is expected to have an official groundbreaking ceremony later in October. The board recommended to Public Works Director Shane Kinsey that the predominant color of the building should be neutral, and a final color selection is expected to be decided soon.
Kinsey also said the department announced the retirement of two long-time employees – Wayne Barker, who spent for 38 years working for the township; and Dwight “Ike” Myers, who spent 16 years with the township.
Kinsey said that the department has created a new superintendent position that will be filed by Mark Vitanza to the role of Public Works Superintendent. Vitanza previously worked for Kennett Township and West Bradford Township. Joey Swift was also hired to join the department. The board approved both appointments.
David B. Arscott, assistant director of the Stroud Water Research Center, will present the ecological findings of the two water monitoring systems the township recently purchased, at the next board meeting on Nov. 2, beginning at 7 p.m. Once those results are shared with the public, the township will present the data to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The township will commit $50,000 from its Open Space Funds toward the Brandywine Conservancy's project to protect, restore and place easements on forested riparian buffers in the township.
After evaluating recommendations it received from the township's planning commission, the board approved Ordinance 205 – with additional conditions recommended by the commission and the board – that will effectively expand the width of future roads built in the township from 20 feet to 26 feet, and be applied to the construction of new developments. The ordinance will also provide additional requirements regarding future parking and access routes on township roads.
Based on the recommendation of the township's Open Space Committee, the board approved Resolution No. 658, which enters the township into an Open Space Fund to purchase the Brosius property, a 10-acre horse farm on Woodview Road, for $11,766 in transactional costs. A conservation easement will be placed on the parcel, and will be donated to the Brandywine Conservancy.
The board also approved the appointment of Bob Dando as an alternate member of the township's Zoning Hearing Board.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].
Staff Writer
About halfway through the London Grove Board of Supervisors' Oct. 5 meeting, the board gave approval to the design of a new roof at the township-owned Inniscrone Golf Course – not to exceed $2,500. Later on, the board agreed to table a decision on whether or not to upgrade the paving of cart paths on the course, until next spring.
The golf course appeared on the agenda once more, and this time it was a decision that will influence the financial picture of where the course will be headed in the next five years.
The township approved a request by the Heathland Hospitality Group, the course's management company, to amend its five-year contract with the township, to include an amendment that states that if an annual audit determines that the course has endured a financial loss for the preceding year, that Heathland will pay the township 50 percent of the loss, up to a maximum amount of $10,000, and that the township will be responsible for paying the remainder of the loss to Heathland within 30 days of the audit.
It's a change to a five-year contract that the township signed with Heathland when it came on board as the management team of the course in 2011. The contract expires on Dec. 31, 2017.
“Right now, for whatever the loss is after $10,000, we have to absorb it,” said board chairman Richard Scott-Harper. “One of the things we explored was to incentivize Heathland to make a profit, and the answer, legally, is 'No.' We can't give them a percentage of the profit, or a bonus. It's illegal to do that. This was the fist step in trying to balance the scales, in an existing agreement.”
A second amendment to the agreement, also agreed to by the supervisors, states that for every year of the Heathland contract, Heathland wil use an independent auditor to conduct an audit of Healthland's books and records regarding its management of Inniscrone.
In other township news, the board received an updated building progress report, updated construction schedule and site work costs for the Department of Public Works' new maintenance building on Rose Hill Road, that is expected to have an official groundbreaking ceremony later in October. The board recommended to Public Works Director Shane Kinsey that the predominant color of the building should be neutral, and a final color selection is expected to be decided soon.
Kinsey also said the department announced the retirement of two long-time employees – Wayne Barker, who spent for 38 years working for the township; and Dwight “Ike” Myers, who spent 16 years with the township.
Kinsey said that the department has created a new superintendent position that will be filed by Mark Vitanza to the role of Public Works Superintendent. Vitanza previously worked for Kennett Township and West Bradford Township. Joey Swift was also hired to join the department. The board approved both appointments.
David B. Arscott, assistant director of the Stroud Water Research Center, will present the ecological findings of the two water monitoring systems the township recently purchased, at the next board meeting on Nov. 2, beginning at 7 p.m. Once those results are shared with the public, the township will present the data to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The township will commit $50,000 from its Open Space Funds toward the Brandywine Conservancy's project to protect, restore and place easements on forested riparian buffers in the township.
After evaluating recommendations it received from the township's planning commission, the board approved Ordinance 205 – with additional conditions recommended by the commission and the board – that will effectively expand the width of future roads built in the township from 20 feet to 26 feet, and be applied to the construction of new developments. The ordinance will also provide additional requirements regarding future parking and access routes on township roads.
Based on the recommendation of the township's Open Space Committee, the board approved Resolution No. 658, which enters the township into an Open Space Fund to purchase the Brosius property, a 10-acre horse farm on Woodview Road, for $11,766 in transactional costs. A conservation easement will be placed on the parcel, and will be donated to the Brandywine Conservancy.
The board also approved the appointment of Bob Dando as an alternate member of the township's Zoning Hearing Board.
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail [email protected].
