Officials have talked to agency about facility
Baltimore County officials are considering closing the popular but unprofitable Gunpowder Falls golf course to build athletic fields, plans that could jeopardize course operators’ efforts to expand, they said.
County administrators have approached the Revenue Authority, a public-private agency that operates the county’s golf courses and parking garages, about buying the Kingsville course to build an athletic complex, according to Chief Executive George Hale. The need for fields in a growing area of the county could be a difficult trade-off for the course’s loyal golfers who enjoy it regularly, Hale said.
“The county administration has indicated this is a priority for them, and we’re exploring the concept,” Hale said. “We want to be a good partner and cooperate with them on an issue that is important to them, but we have our druthers. We’d rather be expanding our golf operations than contracting them.”
Hale and county officials emphasized a final decision is not expected soon. The authority’s board will first discuss the proposal at a Thursday meeting.
The county recently acquired a 28-acre farm adjacent to the 112-acre course and is in negotiations to purchase a third 66-acre parcel, said Don Mohler, a spokesman for County Executive Jim Smith. Combined, the site could be converted into one of the county’s largest regional parks that could take advantage of the existing golf cart path for biking and walking trails, he said.
“The rec programs are just booming in that area of the county,” Mohler said. “The opportunity to preserve open space and create recreational opportunities for families is appealing.”
The Revenue Authority has lost money on Gunpowder Falls for several years, Hale said, leveling off at about 34,000 rounds per year. The agency needs to sell about 40,000 annually to break even.
Three county courses are successful enough to make collective operations profitable, he said. The county’s two newest courses, Greystone and The Woodlands, won’t be profitable until the authority pays off the cost to build them.
“But even without that debt, Gunpowder it not operating in the black,” Hale said. “That said, but this for the initiative, we would not be considering getting rid of it.”
Several of Gunpowder Falls’ regular golfers said they hope the authority decides to keep the course open. Bud Herb, a community activist who played the course Thursday, said the course is shorter than most and a good choice for seniors and beginners.
“That’s an intangible,” he said. “I just think it’s a valuable resource for Baltimore County.”
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