A year after changing architects and rejecting a $330,902 design for renovating the Devine Golf Course clubhouse, the approximate price of turning the facility into a turnkey bar and restaurant may still wind up in that price range.
The Devine City Council capped the renovation plans at $350,000 in 2019, before dropping former architect Lyndsay Thorn and his $330k design in favor of a $250,000 budget for new architecture firm GRG Architecture.
GRG Director of Design Xavier Gonzalez presented Council with a property assessment and preliminary improvement concepts at the August 18 meeting and recommended a renovation plan that costs an estimated $342,000.
That plan includes $88,000 for necessary ADA and code compliance updates; $4,000 for updates to the pro shop area; $14,000 for reconfiguring the restrooms; $26,000 for a new bar; $40,000 for a new kitchen; $78,000 for finishes; and $92,000 for new bar and kitchen equipment.
Council voted to proceed with that plan, minus an estimated $92,000 for kitchen equipment that it plans to try and purchase on its own for a lower price.
Thorn’s $330k design did not include kitchen equipment.
Gonzalez said the clubhouse would look good whether Council decided to stick with its $250,000 budget or increase it.
“The real question at hand is, how well is it going to operate and perform for you?” Gonzalez said. “How efficient is it going to be, both in terms of energy and production and from an operation standpoint?
“All these things we’re pointing to will make it better. Do you want it to be really, really good, or just good enough, or somewhere in between? That’s the challenge set before you.”
GRG provided what it termed Small, Medium, and Large budgets, each with a different layout plan and total estimated price. The Small budget is approximately $322,000, while the Medium budget is $360,000, and the Large budget is $378,000. Each of those figures includes a required $88,000 for code and ADA updates.
The recommended $342,000 plan pulls elements from both the Small and Large budgets, and does not include things such as tables, chairs, and flatware, or the repair of the canopy over the covered porch, which GRG found to be unsafe.
“This is not a small amount that we’re talking about,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a bunch of work and it’s an investment, really, for a multipurpose golf clubhouse for the city of Devine.”
While the Council wasn’t required to make a commitment to begin construction, Mayor Cory Thompson said they needed to give GRG an idea of what kind of design plan to pursue.
“We obviously need to get them something or else they can’t continue to work as far as what our feelings are on this,” Thompson said, “so they know what they’re working towards.”
District 5 Councilwoman Debra Randall approved of GRG’s idea that the City could purchase kitchen equipment on its own rather than through a contractor as part of the renovation process.
“Technically, if we took that $92,000 [out], we’re hitting our $250,000 budget,” Randall said.
A motion by Randall and District 3 Councilman David Espinosa to move forward with GRG’s recommended $342,000 renovation plan minus approximately $92,000 in kitchen equipment passed unanimously with the support of District 1 Councilman Rufino Vega, District 2 Councilman Steve Lopez, and District 4 Councilman Chuck Guzman.
Background
The golf course and clubhouse are owned by the City, which took over the property after the Devine Golf Association’s 2018 bankruptcy. The City initially ran the course itself until agreeing to a 60-month contract with SG Golf Management for day-to-day operations in November 2019.
The terms of the contract called for the City to pay SG Golf $32,536 per month for the first six months, or until a turnkey renovation of the clubhouse into a bar and restaurant is complete, whichever event occurs later.
The City budgeted $548,725 for the golf course for the 2019-2020 fiscal year that ends on September 30.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer
Council moves forward with $342k golf course clubhouse reno design
