The town’s Request for Proposal (RFP) to redevelop the Gunn House — the 1885 Queen Anne house at 35 Church Lane, soon to give way to the new Bedford Square development — has gotten plenty of publicity.
But another RFP is equally intriguing.
Westport is also soliciting proposals for professional turf and grounds maintenance of the Longshore golf course.
The Longshore golf course. (Photo by Dan Murdoch, via LongshoreGolf.com)
The official notice — posted today — says:
The contractor will be assuming maintenance services historically performed by town personnel. The contractor will report to the town’s Director of Parks and Recreation and work cooperatively with the Head Golf Pro, as is customary for a public golf course.
According to Parks and Rec director Stuart McCarthy, his department and the Golf Advisory Committee have discussed this move for “a couple of years.”
Professional maintenance contractors are “a trend in the industry,” McCarthy says.
“It’s logical to investigate this. Particularly with the issues the course had last year, it makes sense.”
A view of the Longshore course, courtesy of Golf Digest.
McCarthy says the RFP is posted with 3 goals: “maintain the course at the highest quality possible; maintain it as efficiently as possible from a cost standpoint, and look at long-term costs too.”
He stresses that the RFP does not mean a professional maintenance contractor must be hired. “We want to explore our options,” the Parks and Rec director says. “We need to investigate all possible opportunities.”
The bid is due June 19. The contract is for a 3-year period, beginning January 1, 2014.
(Click here to view the official Request for Proposal.)