WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Electrical issues have been discovered inside the clubhouse at the Watertown Golf Club.
The city recently spent $3.4 million to buy the course, but an inspection of the building was never done before the purchase.
City Manager Ken Mix says the clubhouse is in good condition for an older building. However, exposed wiring and missing covers on panel and junction boxes are concerns for the city.
The $3.4 million dollar purchase of the Watertown Golf Club has been highly criticized by residents, due to both its price, and the lack of appraisal and inspection prior to purchase.
“Typically there would be an inspection that’s done as a condition of the purchase offer. That was something that was not in the purchase agreement, and that was not done beforehand,” said Mix.
Although no official inspection report was created, city officials did get a chance to tour the clubhouse prior to the purchase.
“We never saw the electrical wiring in the basement. We did not access that. When we did a final walk-through, we didn’t have access to the basement. We were just checking to make sure the building was in the same condition as it was before,” said Mix.
City Council Member Lisa Ruggiero, who voted in favor of buying the golf course, tells us that walk-through was in late December, and no information was shared at any time with the city council about any electrical issues.
In a statement to 7 News, she says, “It would have been up to City Manager Ken Mix to bring the city engineer, code enforcement, or an electrician when inspecting the property. If staff discovered any issues, it should have been disclosed to city council at that time.”
She goes on to say that both the clubhouse and kitchen were operational in 2022.
However, Mix says that if the course were to open this moment, the clubhouse would not be able to pass inspection – something that doesn’t sit well with Mayor Jeff Smith.
“This is a clear example of why, before you purchase assets, purchase equipment, purchase in this case a golf course and a clubhouse, you have it appraised, and you have inspections,” said Smith, who opposed the purchase.
Mix says the city has spoken with previous owner Mike Lundy and there are arrangements being negotiated to fix the issues.
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