$15 Million Golf Club Referendum Question Posed To Glencoe Voters

GLENCOE, IL — Voters will have a say on a proposal to borrow $15 million to fund improvements to the Glencoe Golf Club.

A referendum question on the April 4 ballot asks Glencoe residents whether to approve general obligation bonds to cover the costs of removing two existing buildings, replacing the clubhouse, expanding the parking lot, adding additional outdoor space, stormwater detention and walking and cart paths.

"This is something we have been discussing for a number of years, at this point," Village Manager Phil Kiraly said.

"All of us have talked about this at great lengths," said Village President Howard Roin, "and time is of the essence now."

Clubhouse buildings are more than 90 years old, and a village task force reported in 2012 that the pro shop and current clubhouse were beyond their useful life and should be replaced, according to village staff.

"As time has passed the buildings have continued to degrade, and in the past several years, numerous investments have been necessary to keep the building operational," Finance Director Nikki Larson said in a staff memo. "Despite that, the list of necessary repairs and the energy inefficiencies has grown exponentially."

If approved, the average bond payment will be about $1.1 million a year, which comes out to about $140 per $10,000 in property taxes per Glencoe household, Larsen said. The bonds will be issued in installments, starting with $3 million this year, rising to $7 million next year and concluding with $5 million in 2025.

As improvements to the club allow for the village to generate more revenue, the additional money could be used to lower the tax levy, which could reduce the bill for taxpayers by about $10 for every $10,000 paid in property taxes.

This spring, voters will be asked:

Shall the Village of Glencoe, Cook County, Illinois, which commissioned a feasibility study of its publicly owned and operated golf course clubhouse and related facilities, and subsequently evaluated deteriorating conditions and the increasing costs of repairs, replace the clubhouse structure with a new, multi-purpose facility to include a restaurant and event space that would be open and available to the public and that will also expand opportunities for community use of the property year-round, and make other necessary improvements to the parking lot and infrastructure and issue its general obligation bonds to the amount of $15,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof, said bonds bearing interest at not to exceed the rate of 7% per annum?

According to village staff, the proposed building size was determined following a feasibility study and design recommendations of the Clubhouse Task Force. It took into account demand for larger golf outings, space to hold private events unrelated to golf and a bar and restaurant area.

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The project is expected to generate an additional $100,000 every year from golfers, sales at the pro shop, event space rentals, increased restaurant rent and other new revenue streams such as golf simulators.

The 126-acre publicly owned golf club was established in 1921, with its first nine holes built using money gathered from village residents.

The following year, the Cook County commissioners approved a land-use agreement to allow the village to operate on property owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve District, and the course was expanded to 18 holes in 1931.

According to a 2019 community survey, 73 percent of wanted more restaurant options and 48 percent wanted additional event spaces. An initial feasibility survey also found there was a need for a private event space.

As part of the proposed improvements, the village-owned golf club will be rebranded as The Club at Glencoe, which will offer a variety of non-golf related amenities.

According to the nonprofit Friends of the Glencoe Golf Club, the upgraded club will offer cross-country skiing, an event lawn, a bicycle repair station, Audobon International's BioBlitz program, a community garden, little library and summer camps for kids, among other community amenities.

Because Glencoe does not have home rule authority, it must seek approval from voters to issue bonds.

Roin said the ballot question has been reviewed by attorneys to ensure its language remined neutral.

"What we have is what, with the advice of lawyers, is the legal and appropriate way to ask the question for our voters. And at this point, something must be done for the clubhouse, and we're at the point where we have to get the advice of the residents as to what they want done," Roin said, as trustees voted in December to place the question on the ballot.

"We're going to have a referendum, and our Friends of the Golf Club group is going to have to be busy," the village president said following the vote. "And I can say that that village stands ready — that's Phil [Kiraly], that's Stella [Nanos, the club's general manager] that stand ready to help with facts."