Working Group Seeks Public Input on Cherry Hill’s Future

Report on the Meeting of the Cherry Hill Working Group, April 6, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Michele Miller (Chair), Sanjay Arwade, Ryan Diplock, Sarah Goff, Hilary Matheson, Chris Pariseau, Anurag Sharma,

Staff: Rey Harp (Recreation Director)

The Cherry Hill Working Group seeks public input on the use of the property and is holding an informal listening session at the clubhouse on Sunday, April 12 at 2:30 p.m. The group is looking for interested people go share ideas, voice concerns, and explore the idea of a “Friends of Cherry Hill” group. Participation over Zoom will also be offered (email michelemiller3680@gmail.com for the link).

News from the Course—Opening Day April 12
Golf course supervisor John Coelho organized a cleanup day for the course last weekend. It was very well attended by volunteers of all ages, and Recreation Director Rey Harp noted that the course is in great shape. Members of the working group expressed regret that they were not notified of the work day, although Sarah Goff and Chris Pariseau did attend.

The course is set to open for members on the weekend of April 11-12 and will be open to the general public on April 13. The staff is learning how to use the new scheduling software, but Harp isn’t anticipating any problems on opening day.

Some members of the CHWG made a site visit on golf carts with Coelho. Anurag Sharma said he appreciated seeing the course “through the eyes of John and Rey” and realized that the course is really short-staffed, with Coelho as the only full-time employee. Harp said there will be some part-time workers later in the season, and optimally, two full-time employees and three part-time in the coming year.

The financial plan created by CHWG member Ryan Diplock includes adding a full-time assistant supervisor and two part-time employees beginning next year. Diplock said that there was no money for additional employees for this year. Pariseau noted that many golf courses are having trouble hiring this year.

CHWG member Hilary Matheson suggested being creative. She noted how long it takes to aerate the course and said that maybe hiring a company that could do it in one morning could save time and improve the course without adding an extra salaried person.

The Role of a “Friends of Cherry Hill” Group
The working group was interested in determining whether residents were interested in forming a booster group to support Cherry Hill by devoting time and possibly money to the golf course and other activities at the site. This could take the shape of helping maintain the property and organizing or fundraising events or special activities days.

Goff wanted to make sure the group was not just a social club. The Friends group could work with Coelho to determine what the property needed and help fulfill those needs.

Should the Golf Course Be Privately Managed?
Part of the charge of the working group was to evaluate the possibility of a private company managing the golf course, as is the case for the Ledges in South Hadley. The company manages the course and keeps a percentage of the profits, but the town is still the landlord for the property.

CHWG Chair Michele Miller worried that some of the issues important to Cherry Hill and the town, such as keeping it affordable, would be lost with a private company running it. Sharma noted the Public Private Partnerships at UMass, such as the Fieldstone dorms, which are beautiful but more expensive than other on-campus housing. He stated that “for a for-profit entity, profit is very important, so the cost to the end user is high.”

Sanjay Arwade felt that the sense of the CHWG is that the course can be managed by the town, but he suggested that the group should get some data, maybe from The Ledges. Harp said he would reach out to The Ledges and talk to the town’s finance team to see what would be needed if the course wanted to explore private management. He thought there would need to be a Request for Proposals, but he was not sure what information would be needed.

Other Activities at Cherry Hill
The working group has spent most of its time on the golf course, but Arwade noted that the site is also used for Nordic skiing, disc golf, snowshoeing, hiking, cross-country running, and orienteering. He and Goff will give a presentation on Nordic skiing at the next meeting and talk about generating revenue during the winter season.

The CHWG’s final report to the Town Manager is due on June 30, although they can get an extension if needed. Arwade wanted to make sure that Diplock’s five-year projection of revenue and expenses was included in the report.

Miller also said that she met with Cinda Jones, who owns land abutting Cherry Hill, and that Jones has lots of ideas for further use at Cherry Hill. Miller will invite her to a future meeting to discuss them.

The working group will next meet on Wednesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.