Yorba Linda's Black Gold Golf Club sees record revenues, debt payoff, future need for refurbishment of facility

 A “second year in a row with record-setting revenues” and outstanding debt “still on tract to be completely paid off” by June 2030 are two key elements of the annual financial report for Yorba Linda's city-owned Black Gold Golf Club viewed by the City Council earlier this month.

The report from club General Manager Rich Cessna noted the facility was voted best in the county by Orange County Register readers for the first time in the club's 23-year history, “a significant accomplishment,” he said, considering the competition from south county clubs.

Numbers from the most recently completed fiscal year showed about $9.5 million in revenue and $8.9 million in expenditures, which included payment toward some $2 million debt owed to the city treasury.

The $610,000 net profit, down from the $1 million declared in last year's report because of investments in a new equipment fleet, still “was an overwhelming success,” Cessna stated.

Part of the profit, about $178,000, will go to replacing the irrigation lake pump, which was scheduled for the previous year, but didn't get completed because of supply chain issues. And the remaining $432,000 will be placed in the club's capital reserve fund.

Income from the club's food and beverage department now accounts for 33% of Black Gold revenue, with income from Derrick's Grille restaurant; weddings, events and banquets at the club; and weddings and events at the Yorba Linda Community Center all more than last year.

Last year's record-setting rainfall did impact the number of rounds played, green fee revenue collected and driving range total revenues. While rounds played dropped 9%, from last year's 64,716 to 58,872, green fee revenue dropped less than 1% to about $4.8 million.

Golf shop revenue jumped some $60,000 for the year. and the club's first-ever month to exceed $1 million in total revenues occurred in June 2023.

Another key portion of Cessna's report dealt with capital reserves and the need for several refurbishment projects for a facility nearing its 25^th anniversary. Adding the $432,000 profit portion from the recent fiscal year to capital reserves increased that fund to $944,000.

Cessna noted Black Gold “will require significant repairs and upgrades in the future.” For example, the course irrigation system will need to be replaced in the next five to 10 years.

The work was previously estimated to cost about $1 million, but Cessna said, the private Yorba Linda Country Club recently replaced their irrigation system at a cost of more than $4 million.

Cessna cited other potential projects as “expansion and improvements to the restaurant patio and upgrades at the driving range to add ball flight trackers and lounge areas similar to those at top golf facilities.”

Near-term projects include repair of a sink hole near the lake, parking lot rehabilitation, solar canopy installation and purchase of an additional refrigeration unit, he said.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District projects less enrollment for next two years; new programs initiated to grow enrollment

Projected numbers in a state-required financial report reviewed at a March meeting of the trustees of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District indicate a decline in average daily attendance will continue to impact local campuses for at least two more years.

To comply with state law, Superintendent Alex Cherniss submitted the second of two interim reports mandated by the state's education code that states the district can meet its financial obligations for the current and two subsequent school years despite the lower enrollment.

A key portion of the report contains an estimate that average daily attendance (ADA) will decline by 374 next year and another 374 the year after. This year's ADA is estimated at 21,228, dropping to 20,854 next year and 20,480 in two years.

Projected ADA decline by grade level: 210 over the next two years for kindergarten through third grade from 5,956 this year; 162 over the next two years for fourth through sixth grades from 4,611; 116 over the next two years for seventh and eighth grades from 3,271; and 260 over the next two years for grades nine through 12 from 7,388.

Less ADA means less revenue. The report lists nearly $397 million in revenue expected this year, $368 million next year and $367 million in two years. Expenses are expected to be just more than $415 million this year, $376 million next year and $378 million in two years.

In an effort to avoid the steep declines in ADA and resulting loss of revenue, Cherniss has outlined “a multi-faceted approach that will attract and retain families” so the district will be able to avoid closing schools, cutting student programs and eliminating teachers and staff.

His recent “Monday Message” to stakeholders describes three actions already underway.

One includes an investment in early education that involves opening preschools on existing elementary school campuses. This year's openings were at Bryant Ranch and Wagner and next year's openings will be at Glenview, Morse and Tynes.

A second involves creating a marketing team to advertise on social media and billboards as well as employ “boots-on-the-ground” visits to new housing developments to provide inform-ation about district schools.

Cherniss said, “When families move into our boundaries, we are doing everything we can to enroll them with us ASAP, rather than attending a local private school or alternative option.”

And the third involves providing specialized educational options, such as the Orange County School of Computer Science charter and the Universal Sports Institute that will attract “elite student-athletes throughout Southern California who wish to train and study independently.”

Cherniss noted that 126 more preschool, 259 more transitional kindergarten and kindergarten and 23 more first through 12th grade students have enrolled in the district so far this year over the 2023 numbers. The computer science charter expects 850 students.