City to discuss golf course; Work session scheduled to review information; no action slated at today's public meeting

The agenda for Tuesday's meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission is brief, but one major topic will be addressed prior to the regular gathering.

A work session will be held at 4 p.m. to review information regarding the acquisition of the golf course. The session will be held in the commissioner's meeting room at City Hall, 123 S. Main St. and is open to the public.

The meeting is expected to last until 5:30 p.m. with the regular assembly following at 6 p.m.

According to Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin, the commission will review a proposal for a lease-purchase opportunity for the acquisition of the golf course, which has been closed since owner Pat Carney's death in late November 2010. He said the numbers have not been finalized yet, but he hopes they will be by Tuesday's meeting.

"We're putting some final touches on the negotiation," Martin said.

Martin said he has been involved in the future of the golf course since he took office in late August 2010. The biggest factor in the plan, said Martin, is that the reopening of the golf course must be a community effort and that the city cannot step up and purchase the golf course without assistance.

To that end, Martin said there is a group of local individuals, businesses and previous interested purchasers of the golf course that have all been involved in the negotiations. He added the group has been raising funds to assist the city in purchasing and maintaining the facility.

"There have been a lot of people who expressed interest," he said.

In addition, Martin said he has been working with Cindy Carney, Pat's wife, to help realize Pat's dream of making the golf course a great place for Fort Scott.

If the proposal is accepted in the future, as no action is anticipated at the work session, Martin said the links would be a municipal golf course. He added the city would try to get youngsters involved because the Fort Scott High School and Uniontown High School golf teams are currently driving to Nevada for practice.