AVALON SOUTH GOLF COURSE Operator: Publicity has hurt business

By PEGGY SINKOVICH and DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Business has fallen into a sand trap, the operator of the municipal golf course said.
Tony Joy, who has operated Avalon South Golf Course since 1989, said he believes a pending lawsuit and negative publicity have caused a decrease in business.
"From January to September in 2001, revenues were $437,510. And this year from January to September, the revenues are $301,920," Joy said. "That is quite a drop."
Joy and his attorney, Richard Schwartz, said numerous golf outings at the course were canceled this summer because people feared the course would close.
"People were reading in the paper that city officials wanted me out and that I was suing, and they didn't want to book here," Joy said. "I'm really hoping everything can be resolved so that I can start booking for next summer and have a better season."
Tried to evict Joy
The city tried to evict Joy from the Howland course in February. The city cited unpaid rental fees, failure to pay a bank loan and failure to maintain liability insurance.
Joy fought back and filed a lawsuit. Joy countered that officials told him he would be credited for improvements he made to the facility and that in 1988 the city's safety-service director told him he would not have to pay property taxes.
The case is still pending.
Both sides are planning to meet with an arbitrator at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to determine who will take steps to winterize the course.
During the hearing, Joy is to provide the city with the procedure he follows to prepare the course for winter. The city then will have a few days to have other golf course professionals review the procedure before going before an arbitrator.
Greg Hicks, city law director, said the arbitration also will hammer out how Joy would recover the costs of the winterization work if he is ousted as the course's operator.
Officials were unsure how much it will cost to do the work.
sinkovich@vindy.com