The proposed facility would be built next to the current one. The First Tee can continue operating in the old one while the new one is being built. Once they are moved into the new clubhouse, the old one would be demolished and later become the new tee box for the first hole.
“We’ve been trying to fix that building for years. The biggest problem with the current building is it was built with a crawl space foundation, and it was built on an active spring. There is water underneath that house that we’ve been trying to mitigate and trying to get that water out for years,” Anderson said, noting the water comes in as fast as they can pump it out.
All of the grading work for the new building would be done in-house by Roads and Engineering. The bids would be to pour a slab and construct the building, Anderson said. The county would also handle the demolition of the old building in-house.
Anderson said he spoke to some local contractors, who estimated it would cost around $250,000 to build a similar home. Because the project is over $100,000, the state requires it to be bonded, which would likely increase the costs, he explained.
Allen Doyle, of First Tee, said the program serves about 250 to 300 kids a year. The course is also open to the public, so they stay busy, he said.
“We’re relatively cheap,” Doyle said.” It’s great for anybody who wants to play and maybe can’t afford some of the steep green fees that are around the golf courses nowadays. We probably do 10,000 rounds a year.”
“This is a gem of a facility in a community like this, and we’re very proud of it, and we hope that the community is very proud of it,” Doyle said.