Golf tournaments returned to city budget

Jun. 9—Crossville has long been known as the Golf Capital of Tennessee, a moniker that has drawn several large golf tournaments to the community.

But members of the Crossville City Council questioned how their sponsorship funds were used for two tournaments, the Tennessee State Women's Open, set for July, and the Tennessee Men's Senior Open.

"In my business, I don't know how many golf tournaments I have invested in," said Mayor James Mayberry, referring to the many benefit golf tournaments held throughout the year to support nonprofit organizations, schools and local sports teams. "How many tournaments of this caliber are sponsored wholly by a city in the state of Tennessee?"

Clayton Hromadka, president of the Tennessee Professional Golf Association, said the two tournaments are the only tournaments solely sponsored by a municipal government. Other tournaments may have corporate or other sponsors.

He said the Cumberland County tournaments are their highest caliber events, calling them the "cream of the crop" in the state.

Hromadka said tournaments operate on a break-even budget.

The city's sponsorship primarily goes to prize money for the winners. There are some apparel sponsors, as well.

The golf courses are paid for greens fees, cart fees and food and beverage for the players, and amateurs are awarded gift cards to pro shops.

Lake Tansi does provide some support for the State Team Championship, which the city is continuing to sponsor at $8,000.

"We've brought well over 3,000 golfers to town," Hromadka said. "We do bring a number of people to town and, obviously, they spend money. But I think the impact can extend far beyond that ... Many cities are in awe of what you've accomplished here."

Hromadka said the Tennessee PGA represents 540 golf professionals at public and private courses across the state. Between the TPGA and the TGA, the organizations have a database of more than 30,000 golfers with registered handicaps.

"We come in for four or five days for each of our tournaments," Hromadka said. Players stay in hotels, though many of the women are hosted in homes or timeshare units, but added, "I think there's value in the citizens of this city and county to be able to participate in that."

He said the Tennessee Men's Senior Open drew past champions as participants.

Allison Brown, executive director of the Tennessee Golf Association, said several women playing in the U.S. Open had their professional start at the Tennessee State Women's Open.

She noted the women's tournament is considered one of the top five women's tournaments in the country.

"It's the community that brings everybody here," Brown said, noting 27 states were represented in a recent tournament. "We have a lot of folks who come right of college when they go professional, and they still come back and support the event."

Crossville is the organization's largest corporate sponsor. Other events are amateur championships or not corporately funded. Prizes are funded by entry fees and qualifying tournaments.

The organization has not increased entry fees in the past five years.

The prize money offered helps draw players.

"We're one of the few state women's open that focuses on the event for the women and has that support," Brown added.

Jeff Houston, director of golf for Fairfield Glade, said the community is known as the Golf Capital of Tennessee.

"That means something across the state, and it means something across the country when people come in," Houston said. "It holds so much value to people who move into the community."

Benefit tournaments include the entire county to support various causes, Houston said.

"A lot of those players are Fairfield Glade players, and some are county players, but the money goes out into the community," Houston said.

Gavin Darbyshire, golf pro at Lake Tansi, said the State Team Championship brought professionals from across the state to the community for three days. The recent event brought 132 players.

"It really does pay off," he said. "They're the best players at their club. When they come here and they have a great time, they see our wonderful golf courses, our awesome climate — it makes a huge impression."

Whether tournament participants or individuals taking advantage of golf vacation packages, Darbyshire said the golfers are looking for things to do in the community during the evenings, as well.

Councilman Scot Shanks said he had long opposed the golf tournament sponsorships, but following the presentation earlier in the meeting, was more in favor than ever before.

"The one thing that got me was the guy from Tansi. He was talking about how influential the people are who come here, how much they influence others because of the pros that come here," Shanks said.

"I'd love to keep those tournaments coming here without paying $75,000."

City Manager Greg Wood said the organizations had never approached Cumberland County for funding, adding, "It benefits the county more than it benefits the city."

Councilman R.J. Crawford said he would have liked to see more data on the economic impact of the tournaments, saying the city's data does not indicate a significant economic impact.

Councilman Rob Harrison said tourism had been a focus of the community for some time because it brings in revenue without requiring a lot of additional services.

"The thinking we had was what can we do to set ourselves apart from anywhere else in the world? At the time, we had 11 golf courses. The intention was always try to come up with something we could be No. 1 in, and not exclude anything else, but try to be No. 1 in a category," he said. "I think that's still valid to try to improve tourism."

Mayberry said he believes the tournaments should seek additional sponsors. Shanks said there was a good chance the tournaments may leave without the city's support, but he did not want to commit to a three-year contract.

"What can we do to keep those things coming?" Shanks asked.

Wood proposed budgeting $10,000 for the two tournaments from the hotel-motel tax revenue. The council will continue its funding when it considers the final reading of the budget Tuesday during its monthly meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

The council also adjusted funding requests from other outside agencies, and a request for $150,000 toward a new science and nursing lab at the Cook Rd. Roane State campus remains undecided.

Wood said the request is a one-time request and could come from the city's fund balance, estimated at about $18 million.

The college has received $1.7 million in state funding for the bulk of the project. They have requested $150,000 from the county and the city to expand the original scope of the project to include a nursing lab, which would increase the number of students the school can serve in its RN program. Currently, nursing students must travel to Roane State campuses in Oak Ridge, Roane County or Knoxville and there are a limited number of spots available.

Crawford said he believes the donation is unnecessary. He also is concerned the nursing program would compete with Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Crossville, which offers an LPN program and has established bridge programs to help graduates advance their certifications and education.

"Is this wisely spent? I know it's a one-and-done," Crawford said.

Councilman Rob Harrison supported the request.

"I want to see us improving our education level, especially science and technical, across the board," he said. "Certainly I want nursing as much as we can get. The hospital is desperate to have them. But it's not just that. It's a broader thing for economic development."

Crawford also recommended eliminating the $15,000 request from Hilltoppers Inc., saying the request was for a "want" rather than a "need."

The organization requested the money to go toward operating expenses for their Day Center Facility, which provides facility- and community-based services and supported employment for 130 people.

While the organization receives payments for services to individuals from the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and TennCare-managed care organizations, additional funding helps provide services to individuals who are not covered by those programs or are underfunded.

Last year the city provided $7,500 in funding.

The city did give the agency 6 acres to relocate their facility to allow for development of Buc-ee's, and the city will also construct a walking trail at the new Woodlawn Rd. facility.

Crawford said, "We've got to get away from this 'we're the piggy bank.' Our main priority needs to be taking care of our own, making sure we're giving the departments what they need."

Several outside agencies submitted requests for funding above what they received the year before.

Wood noted the council had been "somewhat draconian" in its last budget as uncertainty about the pandemic's impact on the economy persisted.

"We did cut some things that we might not have normally cut," he said.

The council increased funding for the Cumberland County Playhouse, with $20,000 from the general fund budget and $60,000 from hotel-motel tax revenue, which is earmarked for tourism and economic development. The city designated $10,000 to go specifically for marketing of the Playhouse.

Last year, the Playhouse received $30,000 from the hotel-motel tax budget.

The hotel-motel tax is estimated to bring in about $200,000 in revenue next year. Allocations include $20,000 for the Crossville-Cumberland County Sports and Events Council, $30,000 to the Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce, and $45,000 for the Crossville-Cumberland County Gateway to the Big South Fork Visitors Center.

Other allocations to outside agencies are:

—$10,000 for Hospice of Cumberland County

—$6,786 to Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency

—$2,000 for Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program

—$2,000 for the Drug Alliance and TAD Center

—$3,000 for Avalon Center

—$3,500 for Court-Appointed Special Advocates

—$4,000 for Creative Compassion for permits, tap fees and other items related to home construction

—$25,000 for Fair Park Senior Center

—$4,000 for Wags and Whiskers

—$10,000 for Downtown Crossville, Inc.

—$1,000 for Kids on the Rise

—$15,000 for Friends of the Trails

—$1,000 for the Veterans Honor Guard

—$7,542 for Habitat for Humanity for permits, tap fees and other items related to home construction

—$3,000 for Cumberland County Young Marines

Wood also asked the council to consider taking funds budgeted for the annual WaterFest event at Meadow Park Lake and using the money to purchase an outdoor projector and screen that would allow the city to offer movie nights at the Amp, Garrison Park, Meadow Park Lake or Centennial Park.

"We think the money would be better invested in that," Wood said.

The estimated cost is $2,400. Remaining funds would help cover additional expenses for the annual fireworks display at Centennial Park on July 4.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.