- April 25, 2024
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River Bend Management Group of Florida LLC, former operator of the River Bend Golf Club on Airport Road, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Dec. 29,2020, adding another layer of complication regarding the future of the golf course.
According to the bankruptcy filing, River Bend’s assets are valued at just over $53,000, while its liabilities surpass $830,000, of which $680,000 was claimed by the IRS.
City Manager Joyce Shanahan said at the Jan. 5 commission meeting that based on the “significant” filing, there likely would not be any assets leftover. The city owns the land, but has no claim to any structural assets, Shanahan explained.
Currently, the city is exploring how much it would cost to maintain the property for the time being, as well as what to do with it as Shanahan reported the Federal Aviation Administration states golf courses are not considered a compatible use in the airport district under current guidance.
“It’s a terrible shame that the operators were not able to operate that golf course profitably,” City Commissioner Dwight Selby said.
The cities of Port Orange and New Smyrna Beach have been able to subsidize their golf courses for $300,000 and $160,000 a year, respectively, but with the maintenance needed at River Bend to make it profitable, Selby wondered if this is the direction the city should explore.
“I’m just reluctant to invest a lot of our hard-earned taxpayer’s money in a business that doesn’t appear, based on what some of our neighboring cities are doing, to be able to operate profitably," Selby said.
Mayor Bill Partington said he’s heard the infrastructure improvements of the facility could range anywhere from $3 million to $8 million.
“That’s a shock to the system to hear those kinds of numbers, and particularly in today’s environment where golf courses are not necessarily thriving,” he said.
The city, he said, will need to hear input from the public.
The City Commission approved a comprehensive plan land use amendment for the property slated to house the proposed Tymber Creek apartments project with a 3-2 vote. Commissioners Troy Kent and Susan Persis voted against.
The developer’s attorney, Glenn Storch, told the commission that they were hoping to work with the neighbors to bring the city a project that takes their concerns into consideration.
The commission unanimously voted to replace the gymnastics appointment in the leisure services advisory board with an at-large appointment, as the gymnastics program has been discontinued.
Volusia County Schools is preparing to transform to a full technology 1-1 school district, as 33,000 laptops have been secured for middle and high school students and will be distributed this month.
