White Hawk Country Club
Home Owners Association

The Redevelopment Commission meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, June 21 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 101 N. East St.

OWNER HOPES CROWN POINT PANEL HAS ADVICE ON BONDING, INVESTORS

White Hawk Country Club to ask city for funding help
By Kathleen Quilligan - kathleen.quilligan@nwi.com, (219) 662-5331 | Posted: Saturday, June 12, 2010 12:05 am CROWN POINT |
A country club in the city will ask the city's Redevelopment Commission for suggestions and possibly assistance with funding at Monday night's meeting. Friday afternoon, Paul Switzer, the owner of White Hawk Country Club, said when the club's two bank notes came up for renewal this year, one note, for about $3.3 million, was not renewed based on White Hawk's financial performance over the past two years. He is looking for funding alternatives, such as investors, and has listed the property for sale, although the club does not want to sell, and already has had a meeting with White Hawk subdivision residents about the issue.

A second bank note, of $3.5 million, was renewed by another bank. Switzer emphasized Friday that events scheduled at the country club still will occur and the club is still taking new bookings. He said the country club has been hit hard over the past few years with heavy flooding in 2007, the golf industry taking a hit as the economy tanked and property tax bills that nearly cost White Hawk its liquor license last year.

The country club needed to pay the almost $400,000 in property taxes it owed before it could renew its liquor license last year. But subdivision residents and the community banded together and raised both club memberships and the money to pay off the property taxes. Switzer said he is not asking members and residents to band together to raise the $3.3 million, but said the country club does need their continued support.

Switzer said the club has more than 400 members compared to last year's 280 about this time. It recently opened a restaurant called IRONWOOD Steakhouse and Friday launched a lower price structure for public golfers, such as $49 for an 18-hole round of golf on the weekend instead of the previous price of $68 for a weekend round. "I really feel we've turned the corner," Switzer said. "We are seeing an increase in bookings." Still, White Hawk needs at least $1.5 million to "right size" the debt. Switzer said he is not asking for the city on Monday to take over the golf course, but he would be open to any ideas, such as bonding. White Hawk Country Club has four nine-hole golf courses as well as the country club building. The Redevelopment Commission is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers at City Hall, 101 N. East St.

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