Jul. 23—An executive with Brown Golf Management said Exeter Township officials rejected its proposal to manage operations at the township-owned Reading Country Club without ever contacting the company.

"There was no attempt or communication from the township to reach out," said John M. Brown, CEO of Brown Golf Management of Camp Hill, Cumberland County, in an email to the Reading Eagle. "We are a local company that absolutely could have helped Reading Country Club."

Brown said his company was hired by Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County, to run the Lederach Golf Course.

"It's been a tremendous partnership where we have assisted transforming their profitability," Brown said "(Exeter) could learn a lot about us by some simple legwork and calling other municipalities that we work with."

Supervisors issued a request for proposals to manage the country club in February, following the termination of an agreement with New Jersey-based Morningstar Golf & Hospitality LLC.

Morningstar was hired by the township in October, in a five-year deal to reopen banquet and catering services at the country club.

At a meeting July 11, supervisors voted 4-1 not to have neither Brown nor Corsi Associates LLC, of Springfield, Delaware County, manage the club.

Brown's plan was to manage all areas of the property at a cost of $80,000 up front, and 25% of all profits.

Prior to the vote, supervisors Ted Gardella, George Bell, David Vollmer Jr. and Michelle Kircher agreed that the proposal's cost was beyond what Exeter was willing to pay.

Supervisor David Hughes gave the sole vote against rejecting the proposals, questioning whether officials spent any time talking to the companies, or had another plan for managing the country club, which closed its restaurant and catering facilities in 2017.

"In the request-for-proposal process, we assumed (the rejected proposal) was (Brown's) last best offer," Gardella said to Hughes at the July 11 meeting.

Interim Township Manager Betsy McBride said this week to the Reading Eagle that Gardella told her that supervisors had reached out to Brown at some point before the vote, but she didn't know anything further.

Requests for comment from Gardella were not returned.

Brown said the township owes it to their residents to ask questions of the companies submitting proposals.

"Even if they don't hire anybody, ask questions and learn," Brown said. "Simply put, this was a charade of a process."