by Dennis Dalman
In a series of emails in late June between the Sartell Newsleader and Sartell City Administrator Anna Gruber, Gruber expressed how controversy and sharp criticism over a golf-course land sale has caused low morale among city staff.
The email exchange was initiated by the Newsleader and took place several times over two days just before the June 26 city council meeting (see related story).
Some of the flak from the public, Gruber said, arose from the following misperceptions: that the city council members from the beginning were adamantly divided about the land sale, that there was an attempt by city staff to keep the land-sale proposal from public scrutiny and that city staff and/or some council members were somehow showing personal favoritism to Sartell business owner Brandon Testa, who purchased that land from the city.
Background
In August 2022, a proposal to buy golf-course land leased from the city by Pine Ridge Golf Course began to be discussed.
The land in question was bought from a previous golf course by the city in 2008, using money from the city’s regional half-cent sales tax. All told, the city acquired about 160 acres of land. Half was used to develop Pinecone Central Park; the other half was leased to Boulder Ridge of St. Cloud, which then developed and managed Pine Ridge Golf Course on the Sartell property.
In the autumn of 2022, the city council directed city staff to advertise for RFPs (Requests for Proposals) from anyone interested in buying the golf-course land. About two months later, the city received four RFPs, with Three Tees LLC (owned by Brandon Testa) being the highest bidder.
Throughout the process, there were 11 meetings open to the public, Gruber noted. One meeting was closed as a negotiation session. The city council gave unanimous approval to the approval. At that time, the latter months of 2022, there was one council member, Jeff Kolb, who decided not to run for re-election. In the November 2022 election, Jed Meyer was elected to replace Kolb, and Tim Elness was re-elected. The newly elected members (Alex Lewandowski, Jed Meyer, Jill Smith) took their seats on the council in January.
During the first two council meetings in May (May 8, May 22), there was a heated debate about the land-sale, with Mayor Ryan Fitzthum and council member Jed Meyer strongly opposed, and the other three (Tim Elness, Alex Lewandowski, Jill Smith) strongly in favor.
Those opposed said the selling price of $426,000 was way too low, that there was no urgent need to sell the land, that it should remain public-owned parkland as originally intended and that the sale should either be stopped and/or scrupulously reconsidered.
Those in favor argued the land and its problems could become an imminent financial liability to the city (a need to fix its expensive irrigation system, rebuilding its parking lot, other maintenance issues). Proponents also said a private owner could place all kinds of amenities on a few acres of the land – a restaurant, for example.
At the May 22 council meeting, after a very long discussion/debate, the council voted 3-2 to approve the purchase agreement with Three Tees LLC, with the provision a golf course must be maintained on that land for a period of 30 years. Approving the agreement also meant terminating the lease with Pine Ridge Golf Course, with a year’s notice.
Whose idea was it?
Many Sartell residents have asked what was the initial impetus for considering a sale of the golf-course property?
In an email to the Newsleader, Gruber wrote the following:
“The formal process of selling the golf course began on Oct. 10, 2022, when the city council officially announced, initiated the public RFP (Request for Proposal) process and began accepting proposals from interested parties.
“However, informal discussions around the concept began in the spring of 2022. As new staff entered employment with the city and became more familiar with city finances, they began to prioritize two core items directed by the city council: limit debt and build capital improvement funds, while maintaining a flat tax rate.
“In planning efforts around capital improvement funds, staff noticed there is not a city fund or budget for the golf course. Staff also determined that not only is there not a single dollar dedicated to the golf-course property, but the funds the city receives for the rent on the golf course (lease) are transferred in whole to the Sartell Youth Rec Board for Scheels Arena.
Staff confirmed the city owns no equipment and is responsible for future maintenance costs of the course, which are expected to total more than $1.6 million. With no capital or budget funds for the golf course dedicated and potential expenses totaling more than $1.6 million, staff brought these findings to the city council in August of 2022 for direction on how to move forward, as well as an appraisal for the property that was completed in June of 2022.
At that time, staff also shared with the council that they had been approached by an interested party, Three Tees LLC, that would be willing to maintain the property as a golf course, take on the maintenance liabilities and enhance the property clubhouse into a full-scale restaurant.
Three Tees LLC had been made aware of the staff research regarding the golf course due to inquiries around potential development properties along Pinecone Road for their (Three Tees) other and separate business ventures. The city council agreed to meet with Three Tees. Upon meeting with Three Tees, the council agreed selling the golf course made the most financial sense long-term given the staff findings and research, but the council wanted to ensure it was a public RFP process that provided the same opportunity to anyone interested. This led to the formal opening of the RFP process on Oct. 10 in which (four) interested parties responded on Jan. 9, 2023, and the highest bidder was Three Tees LLC.”
Park property?
Many in Sartell have criticized the city for selling public parkland, green space.
Gruber said golf-course land was never designated as “park property” or “green space,” as defined in city ordinances, the Master Park Plan or in the final plat for the property.
“That has been misconstrued a few times and I think it is a really important point,” she said. “We are not and did not sell park property and continue to have (more than) 700 acres of park property in Sartell. The sale of this property did not impact our park properties.”
Lack of public input?
City staff and the city council have been strongly rapped by some who claim public input from residents was purposely excluded from the land-sale process.
Gruber said there were a total of 11 meetings and a publicly-posted RFP process.
“We had multiple public opportunities, including the 90-day RFP process, open public interviews of the four submitted RFPs, and a public update at the April 24 regular meeting along with continuous updates on our ClearGov site. During the whole process, we actually only had one closed meeting for negotiations (March 13). Everything else was open to the public, many of which were well attended.”
Conflict of interest?
Many have accused some city staff and some council members of “favoritism” or “conflict of interest” in regard to selling that property to Three Tees, owned by Sartell business owner Brandon Testa. (see related story).
In an email statement, Gruber wrote the following to the Newsleader:
“I can assure everyone that Brandon Testa had zero relationships with council members that swayed any decisions. In fact, in the closed meeting on March 13 where negotiations were finalized, it was a 5-0 agreement from all council members to move forward with the final terms as presented and later approved in May. While it ended up passing 3-2 and somehow was presented as being three council members adamantly in support and two that were against this the whole time, that’s simply not the truth.
“It was not until the final meetings in May that this wasn’t a unanimous decision. Furthermore, I was present for every meeting discussing the golf course and not once was there ever a reference or benefit due to friendship, personal bias or personal connections between any council members and Brandon Testa. Our city attorney was present for most meetings as well and would have a duty to call off any negotiations should he have awareness of any benefit being given due to personal relationships. He can attest to the professional and ethical manner in which this process was handled by all council members.”
Testa statement
The following is a statement from Brandon Testa, buyer of the property:
“Our vision for the property has always been about providing a quality and community focused amenity. We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with an experienced golf operator while adding a new clubhouse, year-round restaurant and community space all within walking distance to multiple Sartell neighborhoods and Pinecone Central Park.”
