City hears municipal golf course first-quarter report; robot lease stalled by contract venue clause

At the July 8 Andover City Council meeting, the municipal golf course manager delivered the course's first-quarter (Jan'Mar) report, saying rounds and revenues for that quarter were down about 35% year over year but stressing that the quarter historically represents only about 12% of annual play.

The presenter (Stuntz) attributed the decline mainly to poor weather and told council the course's irrigation replacement project, started in December, was completed in January and is performing well, with one remaining controller-to-valve wire to be reconnected within days. He said three of five leased pieces of equipment have been received and that course conditions have improved.

On proposed automation, Stuntz said a planned demonstration and lease for a robotic mower fell through because the vendor wanted disputes resolved under North Carolina law; city legal and staff declined to accept that venue. "We don't want to sign a document that requires us to settle disputes in a faraway place," he said. City staff said they will look for alternatives and may return later with another proposal.

Council members asked why the wiring fault took until spring to discover and about temporary manual watering of an affected tee; staff explained the tee box issue was identified in March and a contractor backlog delayed repair, with staff managing the tee manually in the interim.

No formal action was taken; the item was an informational presentation.