residents want to keep the Miniature golf course open

Edwin Swift IV, chief operating officer of Historic Tours of America Inc., said he would be interested in submitting a competitive bid.

“Ripley’s says it will make all the ADA changes,” Burchfield said. “It will maintain the entire course. But it wants a five-year lease — with the option of another five years — so it has time to make back its investment.”

The City Commission understood their desire to save an endangered city institution, but on Monday night the commission made only a decision to acquire more information about their options.

Two unscientific polls indicated Taylormade R11 irons that St. Augustine residents overwhelmingly are in favor keeping the course open.

“Children, parents and grandparents know this little treasure of St. Augustine,” he said. “Why take away something that means so much to the city?”

Jennifer White, who operates a wedding business very close to that site, objected to the city making the course into a green space for weddings, saying government should not be in competition with private enterprise.

Those concrete and landscape revisions would cost $50,000 to $52,000 and would change the course’s entire appearance. In addition, only nine holes would be ADA accessible due to lack of space.

Assistant City Manager Tim Burchfield said the city’s five-year lease with Ripley’s ends Sept. 30, and there is a overdue federal requirement to have the course comply with the Americans With Disability Act by widening its lanes to make them wheelchair accessible.

St. Johns County resident Terry Auten of Elkton said he’s been a customer of the miniature golf course for years.

“We need some kind of decision or direction,” Jones said. “This is the right time to look at (this property’s) highest and best use. I don’t think we need to ever talk about running it ourselves.”

After the ownership fiasco, the city leased the course to an independent businessman, who also couldn’t make a go of it and subsequently sub-leased the property to Ripley’s.

The city in the past hired two part-time Taylormade R11 driver employees to run it and the operation lost $20,000 to $30,000 per year.

Leary agreed strongly, garnering laughter when he said, “I’d rather be dead in a ditch than run it ourselves.”

Commissioner Bill Leary said, “I’m in favor of retaining this property (as a miniature golf course).”

Ripley’s General Manager Kim Kiff told discount golf clubs the board that her company still wants to run the golf course and put $15,000 in new carpets and new flags in last year.