Alternatives Proposed for Funding Cherry Hill Golf Course

Report on the Meeting of the Cherry Hill Working Group, February 4, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

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

Staff: Dave Ziomek (Assistant Town Manager) and Rey Harp (Recreation Director).

After the last meeting of the Cherry Hill Working Group (CHWG) maintained that the golf course was profitable, but lacked investment into maintenance and infrastructure that could make it even more so, the group invited Amherst Finance Director Sean Mangano to present options that would allow earnings to be directed toward improvements at the site, rather than going into the town’s general fund as is now the case. At the January 21 meeting, CHWG member Ryan Diplock pointed out that virtually no capital investment has been made in the golf course since 2017. 

Mangano explained that in the current budget, the golf course is treated as a cost center, where all proceeds from the golf course as well as all  personnel and maintenance expenses are part of the town’s operating budget. The Recreation Department can submit capital improvement requests for the course to the Joint Capital Planning Commission (JCPC), which begins its meetings in March to develop the FY27 capital budget. JCPC and the Town Manager would need to prioritize these requests against competing needs, such as road and school capital projects. He added that all proposed changes for the FY27 budget cycle need to be submitted to the Town Manager by early March, so they can be included in the budget. These include proposed increases in green and membership fees, changes to golf course operating hours and concessions, and adjustments to the funding structure.

As far as changing the funding structure of the golf course, Mangano outlined two possible ways to allow the course to use its profits: a revolving fund or an enterprise fund.

A revolving fund is a specialized, self-replenishing account authorized under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44, Section 53E1/2, used to deposit revenue from specific programs (like recreation or school services) to directly fund the same programs. These funds allow departments to spend money without new, project-specific, annual appropriations, provided they remain within an annually approved spending cap and support specific, non-mandated services. 

An Enterprise Fund is a separate accounting and financial reporting mechanism used by the town to manage specific municipal services that operate like a business. Instead of being funded by property taxes (like the General Fund), these services are funded primarily through user fees, such as water, sewer, or waste fees. 

To establish a revolving fund, the club would need to adopt bylaws specifying which expenses would be covered by the club and which would be paid by the town. Mangano said that, typically, benefits packages for personnel are paid by the town, but operating expenses are paid by the entity. Any excess revenue could be reinvested in the course if that is specified in the bylaws. 

With an enterprise fund, the course would be responsible for all its expenses and would be required to raise fees to break even. 

Mangano believed that a revolving fund offered greater flexibility, and the CHWG members appeared to agree. Hilary Matheson said, “The only way we can determine whether Cherry Hill should stay as a golf course is to take it out of the general fund. It’s too easy to hide stuff in the general fund. And I do feel that in order for the golf course to move forward and for a lot of the ideas that came forward at the last meeting to be able to be implemented, it needs to work as a standalone.”

Diplock added, “If we want to make it a revolving fund, it doesn’t mean that it can’t become an enterprise fund down the road. The revolving fund is a little more forgiving. It will allow us to have more price discovery, information discovery and be more confident before making the transition to full enterprise if that’s what people want to do.”

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek acknowledged that Cherry Hill likely cannot absorb the capital costs of needed upgrades without an increase in revenue. “With a revolving fund, the bylaw can somewhat dictate what costs are charged to the revolving fund,” he said. “You still need to break even or possibly grow the balance so that you have funding available for capital in the future. If you had the retained earnings, you could go to council with an appropriation to cover cost overruns.”

The golf course would be eligible to apply for grants whether it  operates as a revolving fund or an enterprise fund, or remains a cost center within the general budget. The working group will discuss structural reorganization at its next meeting on February 25.

New Software Management System Planned
Recreation Director Rey Harp is consulting with two companies about acquiring new management system software for the golf course. This was one of the main recommendations of Diplock’s financial report. Harp thought the department could absorb the one-time expense of $5,000 to $6,000 cost or cover it with projected green fees. He is talking to other golf courses in the area about the systems they use and their experience with them.

Harp said that one company told him it would take six weeks to install the software, followed by training sessions for staff. However, the system would increase revenue by improving the utilization of the course and making accounting easier. 

With the golf course scheduled to open on April 1, the software decision must be made soon, but Harp said he and the staff will make it with the working group’s priorities in mind.

In light of the green fee increase, CHWG member Chris Pariseau said it was important to let the public know that the town is going to be investing in the course. Sanjay Arwade said he was not prepared to support any fee increases until he received assurances that the revenue would go back into the golf course.

The suggestions to increase the course’s hours and dates will depend on staff availability and will require an increase in the staff budget. 

In the meantime, Arwade noted that there have been 17 consecutive days of excellent cross-country skiing on the property.

The next CHWG meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25 at 7 p.m.