Huntington eyes new managers for two town golf courses

The Huntington Town Board is moving on from the town’s failed relationship with its previous golf course manager.

The board has scheduled a Jan. 10 public hearing on proposed license agreements with Huntington-based Gelucci Brands LLC to operate and manage the food concessions at Crab Meadow Golf Course and with Dietz Golf Corp. of Calverton to run the golf operations at Crab Meadow and at the Dix Hills Park Golf Course.

If approved, the companies will replace Kissimmee, Florida-based Integrity Golf. Town officials rescinded the license agreement with the company in November.

The town will gain $490,000 from the two contracts, if approved, over the initial five-year term, town spokesman A.J. Carter said. The companies were selected after public bids for the contracts. The Crab Meadow Golf Course is located along Long Island Sound in Northport. The Dix Hills Park Golf Course is on Vanderbilt Parkway.

Gelucci Brands LLC, which is operated by Mark Gelish, who owns Mac’s Steakhouse in Huntington and runs the catering operation at the Huntington Yacht Club, is to pay the town $220,000 to lease and operate a restaurant and snack bar at Crab Meadow for the five-year contract.

To lease, operate and manage the pro shops at both facilities, Dietz will pay the town $270,000.

The new contracts will run through December 2021, with options for two successive five-year terms.

Steve Dietz, the Dietz Golf Corp. owner, worked as Integrity’s pro shop manager and for the previous vendor, so the selection is a continuation of existing operations, town board member Mark Cuthbertson said.

Cuthbertson said the Dietz contract is a scaled-back version of the Integrity contract, which called for capital improvement projects.

Town officials said they had selected Integrity specifically because the company was to take on capital projects such as creating a grill room for year-round use, updating the bar and adding more seating, and replacing the patio tent with a more permanent structure at Crab Meadow. But the company failed to make any of the improvements, officials said. The golf shop at Dix Hills also was never completely overhauled, they said.

“We expect Dietz to fulfill their obligation under the contract, which Integrity was not doing,” Cuthbertson said.

Representatives of Integrity did not respond to requests for comment.

Cuthbertson said Gelish’s successful record with the other establishments means he should be a “good fit” for Crab Meadow.

In November 2014 the town board approved a five-year contract with Integrity for the company to oversee Crab Meadow Golf Course and operate and manage Dix Hills Park Golf Course.

The Integrity contract, which began January 2015, had the option to be renewed three times, for five years each time.

But Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said the company did not hold up its side of the contract, failing to pay the town on time and not starting capital projects.

The public hearing will be Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. during the regular town board meeting at 100 Main St.