City Council gets update on golf club

By Patrick Fisher, Staff Writer

At its Monday meeting the New Prague City Council unanimously approved several recommendations from the city's Golf Board and was updated about the first week of new management.

Wade Brod of Golf Management Enterprises, LLC, which is now managing the New Prague Golf Club, said the first few days have gone well. There were some details being worked out concerning staff. A meet the management event was being planned for Saturday, Feb. 26. Brod noted a lot of people are cross country skiing in the area and suggested grooming a trail on the course, which people could use for a fee.

Brod presented three proposals from the Golf Board. They were to extend the membership incentive through Monday, Feb. 28, and reduce the junior and college membership rates. The junior members would also be eligible for three half-hour group lessons.

Council member Kristin Guerrette asked if Brod had any idea why the numbers for junior level members had gone down? He said that a number of young golfers are not joining the high school golf team after middle school.

Snow removal

Public Works Director Dennis Seurer presented an overview of the city's policies and practices regarding snow removal on sidewalks and streets.

He also went over issues concerning this year's extraordinary amount of snow. This has affected city staff's ability to maintain sidewalks in a timely manner. The large amount of snow has also made it difficult for residents to keep their sidewalks clear.

Council member Dave Bruzek asked when sidewalks are being cleared, how far down are people to go? He's noticed some sidewalks instead of being completely cleaned, have three to four inches of snow left.

Seurer explained that sometimes city crews aren't able to get to some sidewalks right away with the snowblowers. Due to foot traffic, some of the snow becomes compacted and can't be easily removed.