Cambridge Panel Clears Fresh Pond Golf Course Pro Shop Revolving Fund, 6-0

CAMBRIDGE -- March 14, 2024, Cambridge's Ordinance Committee unanimously backed a new revolving fund to let the city directly operate the Fresh Pond Golf Course Pro Shop. The committee voted 6-0 at its March 14 meeting, with Councillor Burhan Azeem, Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, and Mayor E. Denise Simmons absent, to send the proposed ordinance amendment to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation. Vice Mayor Paul F. McGovern chaired the hearing. The fund, which must be codified in the municipal code because it is not automatically authorized by state statute, would allow pro shop revenues to cycle back into operations without a separate appropriation for each transaction. City staff estimated the pro shop could generate roughly $50,000 per year, though the figure is uncertain because the city has never managed the shop directly. The golf course as a whole generates approximately $1.1 million to $1.2 million annually and operates on a self-sustaining basis. Before forwarding the measure, the committee adopted a one-word technical edit, changing "at" to "for" in the fund's purpose clause, on the recommendation of City Solicitor's office attorney Elliot Peloso.