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Monroe County Planning To Take Over Maintenance Of Its Golf Courses

Durand-Eastman golf course
monroecounty.gov
Durand-Eastman golf course

There's a big change coming for the way that public golf courses owned by Monroe County will be operated. The county will eventually be taking over some of the maintenance.

That's a change from the way that it's been since 1997.  The county has had a contract for maintaining the three courses, Durand Eastman, Genesee Valley and Churchville, with Jack Tindale. But county parks director Larry Staub says as of 2015, his department will take over maintenance of the parks, and Tindale's contract with the county will end three years ahead of schedule.

"We've met with the current vendor and he expressed some interest in retiring the contract early , the county saw the wisdom in that, and we mutually came to that decision ."

The county is still looking for a separate vendor to handle various golf course services including scheduling tee times, handling golf carts as well as food and beverage services. Last fall it was reported that the state comptroller was auditing management of the three courses after getting some complaints about course standards.

A spokesman for the comptroller tells WXXI News that the audit is still going on. There's no word when it will be completed. Staub says operation of the courses does not cost taxpayers money, and he says after the county assumes operation again they hope eventually to generate some profits from those courses.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.