JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – From bust to boom, Pete Brown Golf Course has quietly become a money maker for Jackson. <\/p>\n
\u201cAbout five weeks ago, we exceeded $12,000 in revenue in one week,\u201d said Steve Hutton, with the city\u2019s Parks and Recreation Department. \u201cFor the first time in the month of June, we exceeded $40,000 in revenue.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAbout four years ago, monthly revenue was approximately $4,000. We\u2019ve now had two months in a row with an excess of $40,000 in revenue,\u201d he continued. \u201cPete Brown, I feel like, is a success story that the city really needs to be talking about.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hutton discussed the course\u2019s success during city council budget hearings last month. <\/p>\n
The council is expected to adopt its 2025-26 budget at a special called meeting on Thursday. <\/p>\n
Hutton explained the park\u2019s success, saying, among other things, Jackson is doing a better job at marketing Pete Brown to college students. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost of our play was in the mornings with senior golfers, which is fantastic, but our afternoons were completely dead,\u201d he told the council. \u201cSo, we really focused on the college golfers, and we created some programs that this body approved where we went to colleges, and we offered them memberships.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now, we have so many Millsaps, Jackson State, Mississippi College, and [UMMC] students, and they all have daddy\u2019s credit card, which we\u2019re very, very thankful for.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hutton shared other plans for the department, as well, including putting GPS trackers on each Parks maintenance vehicle, and purchasing a robotic mower to help the city tackle grass at softball fields and similar sites. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that\u2019s being used a lot in the athletic field industry, and also in the golf course industry,\u201d he said, referring to the robotic mower. <\/p>\n
Hutton told the council that the mower won\u2019t necessarily replace anybody but will make the department\u2019s grass-mowing efforts more efficient. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t keep up with the mowing we\u2019re doing now. And, so, we have a softball tournament come to town, and somebody runs out [really] quick and mows the grass down, and it looks like a hay field because it hadn\u2019t been mowed in three weeks,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s just kind of been the way things have been done.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hutton said the robotic mower will be able to cut five softball fields every 48 hours, and can do it 365 days a year, including at night. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t even know [when it\u2019s] happening,\u201d he said. \u201cThe grass stays at the exact same height all year.\u201d <\/p>\n
As for the GPS devices, Hutton said those will help Parks officials better track employees and city equipment. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe now, as supervisors, [will] know where all of our assets are, know where our people are,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll know how long they\u2019re spending in any particular park or… how long they\u2019re not spending in any particular park.\u201d <\/p>\n
Also, as part of next year\u2019s budget, Hutton is seeking funds for dead tree removal. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe already have flagged and marked 502 dead trees in our city parks,\u201d he said. \u201cThe most are in Jamie Fowler Boyll Park, which is right beside Smith-Wills Stadium. We have 185 dead trees.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hutton estimates the city can have the trees removed for about $800 a piece, which would cost more than $400,000. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to start with this $550,000 that was given for additional park improvements last year, and we\u2019re going to start just a little at a time and try to get the trees down in the danger areas,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt Jamie Fowler Boyll Park, you have several that are near a nursing home. You have several that are near a road. So, we\u2019re going to start taking those out now, and we feel like we can do that out of the $550,000.\u201d <\/p>\n
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