The Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday signed off on a revision of a lease agreement it has with the city of Dunbar to operate Shawnee Park. The revised lease will allow the parks board to operate the golf course and the clubhouse, which will be part of a proposed multi-sports complex.
When Dunbar first took over park operations in 2012, the agreement was for the city to run the pool, the picnic shelters and the tennis and basketball courts, director Jeff Hutchinson said.
Then in 2014, Dunbar took control of the entire park, including the golf course and clubhouse.
"In order to do the multi-sport complex, we have to take that part of the park back," Hutchinson said. "That's what the lease will do."
Kanawha County officials have said they hope to break ground on the sports complex in November, pending the outcome of chemical tests and analysis of the land there. As part of the project, the golf course there will be eliminated.
The Dunbar City Council signed off on the agreement earlier this week.
In other business:
n The parks commission also agreed to allow the parks and recreation department to start use purchasing cards (p cards) to pay vendors and utilities. Hutchinson said using the cards will allow the department to get a 1.25 percent return on what it purchases.
n Parks commission attorney Jordan Herrick told the commission the auction for the 75 acres of land near Sandy Brae golf course will be Friday outside the clubhouse at Coonskin Park. The board voted at its June meeting to sell the land.
The county sold the Clendenin-area golf course in 2006. An adjacent land owner recently notified the parks board that it owns additional land there.