LISTEN > As reported by BrigantineNOW, the awarding of Links at Brigantine Golf Food & Bev contract to Mad Dog Morgan was proven invalid / illegal. The City of Brigantine was caught skirting a well known process requiring proper RFP (request for proposal) advertising in legal newspapers of record. Mayor Guenther and City Manager Stinson claimed it was an advertising error. They even had the Press of Atlantic City back that claim up with an in-accurate story.
It was not an advertising error. Guenther, Stinson and Simpson wanted to keep this sweetheart deal in the hands of a specific insider: Mad Dog Morgan. (for second year in a row) Caught red-handed, they now must start all over again.
Jim Fraser; former owner of Mays Landing Country Club talks about the recent pre-bid ‘walk-thru’ #2 at the ‘Links at Brigantine Golf’ club house on March 2.
March 15, 2016 is the bid opening date.
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW: JIM FRASER >
An RFP was sent out recently order to attract a vendor that would feed & provide drink inside the Links Clubhouse at the north end of the island.
Pirates Den, Cellar 32 and Mad Dog Morgan were 3 of the 6 potential bidders who did a walk-thru of the Brigantine Golf Links facilities.
Brigantine Links Manager; Nathan, said that 23,000 rounds were played in 2015. Fraser thinks that number of rounds is ‘anemic’. Brigantine needs at least 30,000 rounds with an average price per round $40 to be successful, says Fraser.
Fraser talked about 2015 revenue numbers that Mad Dog Morgan brought in last season.
The Links food & bev operation called Morgan’s Pub, only brought in $270,000 as reported by Morgan himself. Many of Morgan’s utilities like electricity, WIFI and TV were subsidized by Brigantine Taxpayers. Morgan was able to leverage the City’s concessionaires permit which made it very cheap for Mad Dog to serve beer & spirits.
At the recent Brigantine City Council meeting, it was like pulling teeth trying to get simple info about the financial performance of the Links at Brigantine Golf Course.
Who pays what, missing documents, number juggling, cryptic descriptions and financial mumbo-jumbo heard on the following audio clip.
Listen to GOLF FINANCIALS discussion from City Council Meeting, MARCH 3, 2016 >
Items of note from audio:
- In 2015, Link golf course barely squeaked by. After expenses, approx $40,000 was left from revenues.
- ACIA Atlantic County Improvement Authority now gets $60,000 in management fees. Still unknown who pays what.
- ACIA will be used like Meadowbrook Golf was: mandatory middle-man for valuable concessionaire license.
- All utilities & trash paid for by taxpayers. That was $94,000 last year.
- $55,000 for water & sewer.
- Taxpayers ponied up $191,000 for bond service. We’ll own those 18 holes by 2018.
- The cost of selling alcohol is much lower there. That’s an unfair advantage over private sector restaurants & bars, who also subsidize this deal.
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Well, another post regarding ACIA that was not posted…contradicted the site’s philosophy so it was not posted, ‘coincidental.’ But I digress, this is regarding the F&B at The Links. NOW, it is a failed venture. Thanks to people complaining about the process from CITY HALL, now Morgan’s have bailed on rebidding on the facility. Why? My guess is because if they came back with their original bid, and got the contract, that there would be whispers it was done backdoor. Well, all you partyline followers, you got your wish, Delucry pulled a fast one and now NO ONE is in that clubhouse making food and selling drinks. Know what 4% gross revenue of zero is? Be careful what you wish for…now we all suffer because of it. Thanks for increased taxes Delucry. Repubs and Dems alike are the problem. STOP SEEING BLUE AND RED AND START LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS!!!!!!!