Lakewood ready to see ideas for new RedTail clubhouse

The village of Lakewood is days away from putting out a formal request for proposals for a new clubhouse and storage facility at village-owned RedTail Golf Club, following a unanimous vote Tuesday by the Village Board.

The process to roll out the request for proposals has included nearly a dozen public meetings since last fall, when village staff first raised the possibility of replacing the current clubhouse structure. The meetings have addressed public concerns about funding as well as the ultimate scope of the project.

The request for proposal document outlines the parameters for the design as being roughly 6,000 square feet in size, as well as a smaller, 150-square-foot “halfway house” that would include restrooms and a snack bar near the 10th hole. The clubhouse would include a bar and event space, as well as restrooms and a pro shop.

Village President Dave Stavropoulos said the document would go public by the end of the week.

“We plan to review all proposals that come and articulate to the board exactly what we’re looking at and what costs are anticipated to be,” Stavropoulos said. “I appreciate the challenge.”

Despite public concerns about financing the project, both Stavropoulos and other village staff involved with the plans, including village manager Jean Heckman, have indicated they can keep costs down to under $2 million with a private/public agreement and a financing model that would rely solely on village money set aside from capital improvement funds and per-round revenue from the golf club.

The village raised rates last year for the golf club, in anticipation to help pay for the new clubhouse. While Stavropoulos said the village’s estimates on annual golf rounds at RedTail were intentionally conservative and the golf club would see additional revenue from new events, the village could still look at increasing rates again.

Heckman said the village would discuss golf club rates during budget workshops in November, but said the village was not looking to become the region’s most expensive golf club.

“We know our niche,” Heckman said. “And we know how to keep golfers come back.”

While Stavropoulos said at an Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in October that the detailed nature of the parameters – the village identifies the kinds of materials to be used for the roof and other exterior finishes it wants – was to ensure the village would be weighing “apples-to-apples” proposals, village attorney Scott Puma said the village wanted to open up the bidding process “as wide as we can” in terms of potential bidders.

Stavropoulos said the village has “enough staff to weed through details” in a relatively short timeframe.

After the trustees discussed the timeline, a meeting with potential bidders and village staff was tentatively scheduled to take place on or before Nov. 9, depending on interest and submissions.