Council declines to authorize appraisal of golf course

During its first meeting of 2025, the Rhinelander Common Council expressed support for the city’s continued ownership of the 18-hole Northwood Golf Club, at least for the next 12 months.

An agenda item requested by alderman Tom Barnett regarding authorization for an appraisal of the course did not receive a vote Monday evening, as the council indicated its decision to return management of the club to the city itself represents at least a short-term commitment to its continued status as a city property.

During the discussion, it was noted that Keith Staron, who served as general manager of the course when it was operated by the outside firm Oliphant Golf Management, has been hired as a city employee and will continue to serve as general manager. 

Course superintendent Joe Anderson, a fixture at Northwood for decades, will also continue in his current position, it was announced.

Oliphant’s relationship with the city ended on Dec. 31, 2024, after the council chose not to negotiate another contract.

Under the new arrangement, Staron and all other Northwood employees will report directly to city administrator Patrick Reagan. 

When it was time to discuss the appraisal topic, Mayor Kris Hanus gave Barnett the floor as the District 1 representative requested its inclusion on the agenda.

Barnett explained that he hoped the other alderpersons would agree that an appraisal would be a common sense next step.

“It’s important that we know what the value of the golf course is,” he said. “It’s kind of foolish to go into business, which is what we’re doing with the golf course, and not know what our business is worth.”

The other alders who chose to address the topic indicated the council made its collective feelings known, as to whether there is an immediate interest in selling the course, when it voted late last year to return management of the operation to the city after several years of outside management.

Alderman David Holt, the most senior member of the council, said an appraisal would be “premature” as his feeling is the council wants to see how the new management structure impacts the bottom line. 

“My interest is in giving this at least a couple of years of running it as a city department to see how it goes,” he said.

Alderman Luke Kramer agreed with Holt. 

“I do believe that we need to have a minimum of year under our belt so we can see if it’s going to start making money for us or if it’s gonna start breaking even,” he said, noting that an appraisal has a shelf life of approximately six months before it becomes outdated. “I think we should wait and put it on a future agenda a year, year and a half out minimum,” he suggested.

For his part, Hanus said he believes an appraisal would only make sense if the council wants to sell the course in the very near future. Otherwise, in his estimation, it’s a waste of taxpayer money. 

Hanus also warned that continued discussions of an imminent sale can be “destabilizing” in that prospective club members and employees might shy away from involving themselves in Northwood if the prevailing feeling is the course is about to be sold.

He suggested the council consider voting on a motion regarding whether it would entertain a possible sale within the next two golf seasons.

The panel appeared unwilling to go that far, choosing instead to reiterate that the decisions made in late 2024 clearly show the group is interested in seeing whether the new management structure has a positive impact on the bottom line.

For his part, alderman Steven Jopek asked for clarification as to whether the course has been breaking even or losing money over the last few seasons. After Reagan clarified that it has continued to lose money, Jopek indicated there’s not enough evidence, at this point, for the council to make an informed decision.

“I would be hesitant personally to vote on a, you know, proclaiming that commitment (to sell or not sell) without an abundance of evidence to support it one way or the other,” he said.

As hiring for the 2025 season is well underway and the council has approved the purchase of equipment, alderman Gerald Anderson agreed with his colleagues that the panel has committed to at least one year of in-house management.

At that point, Barnett clarified that he hopes the new arrangement is successful. 

“I do not have a closed mind. I am not unchangeable,” he said. “If someone can prove to me that the golf course actually has a chance of making something of itself, then I would  gladly change my position on it. As for this year, absolutely yes, I will support the golf course in every way I can.”

“It would be foolish and idiotic of me to want it to fail. And I hope it does succeed,” he added, noting that he would love to be proven wrong but the history, so far, is the course has not been an profitable enterprise for the city.

“I hope it proves me completely wrong. I would love that. But history speaks and I will be the first to bring it up again if it does not look like it’s going to be going anywhere,” he noted.

Following Barnett’s remarks, the council moved on to other business. No motions were made with respect to authorization of an appraisal.

In other business, the panel did approve the purchase of a mowing unit for the course as the one that was used last season was the property of Oliphant. 

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].