{"id":864637,"date":"2026-09-29T11:16:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T11:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/864637\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T11:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T11:16:22","slug":"ct-city-to-buy-golf-course-with-restaurant-tennis-courts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/864637\/","title":{"rendered":"CT city to buy golf course with restaurant, tennis courts"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Bristol\u2019s $4.75 million purchase<\/a> goes through, the Chippanee Country Club will start its season next spring as a public operation for the first time in more than a century.<\/p>\n

The city will decide this winter exactly who will operate the 18-hole golf course and its associated businesses<\/a>, but intends to open it on schedule April 1 regardless.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put a lot of time and thought into this<\/a>. There are 39 municipally owned golf courses in Connecticut, and we\u2019ve made contact with the vast majority of them to learn about best practices,\u201d Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said Monday, less than a week after city leaders unanimously endorsed the purchase.<\/p>\n

In a bipartisan, unanimous vote, the finance board and city council last week agreed to make the purchase Nov. 2.<\/p>\n

Public opinion has largely been positive over the summer, although after the vote a number of residents took to Facebook to complain that the deal was needless, too expensive and possibly a long-term black hole of maintenance expenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo put such a luxury item on our backs isn\u2019t a financially sound investment at this time,\u201d Shelley Mastroianni wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to make up for $100k a year in lost taxes and payoff the debt of purchasing it before it can hope to be self sustaining,\u201d added Eric Larson. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not exactly in a prime location to be pulling in that kind of revenue once it goes public.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChippaneeChippanee Country Club in Bristol. (Courtesy of City of Bristol)<\/p>\n

But of more than 400 comments on the city\u2019s Facebook page, the majority were supportive. Many noted that publicly owned courses elsewhere have succeeded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWestern Hills (in Waterbury) makes about $600k a year. Put in a Verdi-style restaurant\/bar and it will make a killing IMHO,\u201d Jeffrey Patten wrote. \u201cAnd really with this deal, there\u2019s no downside. If it doesn\u2019t work out after a year or two, the city holds a very valuable piece of property. I applaud our city for doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick Williams agreed, writing \u201cNot sure about the financials on Timberlin in Berlin, but I can tell you the course is packed, the restaurant is vibrant and busy, and the course is in great shape. Copy their recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying the same is tantamount to going backwards,\u201d added Tom Lorenzetti. \u201cThis is a very small risk with big potential in many ways. Sometimes you need to sacrifice for future generations. A community does things to help make it a better growing community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several posts noted that the city would have risked far greater expenses through higher school enrollments if it had let a private developer buy the course, close it and build more than 140 homes there.<\/p>\n

The city has been negotiating with Chippanee\u2019s owner for months, and reached a deal in August for $250,000 below the original asking price.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sale price includes all fixtures, furniture and equipment. The owner is retaining responsibility for all environmental concerns including tank removals, remediation and testing at his cost,\u201d according to Zoppo-Sassu\u2019s report on the contract.<\/p>\n

\"ChippaneeChippanee Country Club in Bristol. (Courtesy of City of Bristol)<\/p>\n

The 140-acre property comes with a driving range, pro shop, tennis courts, an Olympic-sized pool, a restaurant, banquet operation and snack bar, and the city expects nearly all of it will stay in place.<\/p>\n

The pool, however, may require so much maintenance that it would be better used as a splash pad or similar facility, the city council said.<\/p>\n

Ever since it was built in 1923, Chippanee\u2019s course has been a members-only operation. Bristol will hire a consultant to help study who should manage day-to-day operations next season: The three choices include turning the full property over to a single management firm, using the parks department staff for all operations, or a hybrid approach with some facilities run by separate vendors.<\/p>\n

Zoppo-Sassu has acknowledged it won\u2019t be self-sustaining at first, but projected that after a short introductory period, Chippanee will generate enough revenue to begin paying down the bond debt.<\/p>\n

Critics who\u2019ve complained that the purchase money should be spent instead on schools, roads or police or fire payrolls don\u2019t realize that bonding money is committed to a single pre-selected project, she said. And the golf course could end up repaying all acquisition expenses, perhaps within 20 years, she said.<\/p>\n

A sampling of other municipally owned golf courses in Connecticut includes Timberlin in Berlin, Stanley in New Britain, Oak Hills in Norwalk, Richter Park in Danbury, Shennecossett in Groton, Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield, Goodwin Park and Keney Park in Hartford, Rockledge and Buena Vista in West Hartford and Fairchild Wheeler in Bridgeport.<\/p>\n

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