Jun. 5—A Westmoreland County judge will be asked to decide whether the management company that leases the Murrysville Golf Club can remove the 18-hole course’s irrigation system and concrete cart paths as part of an ongoing dispute over terms of its agreement to operate the 137-acre property.
Golf course owner BIB Real Estate Co. claims the threat to remove those items and others from the property violates lease terms and would prevent the golf course, which opened in 1930, from functioning as a full-service entity.
“It would be impossible to remove the irrigation system and controls, the cart paths and/or any building on the golf course without damaging the surrounding property,” according to the lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court.
According to the lawsuit, J.K. Golf Inc., which has operated the course since 2016, has sought to renegotiate lease terms and a potential three-year extension and, as part of those talks, threatened to terminate the relationship. The existing lease is scheduled to expire in March .
The course manager claims the lease allows for removal of golf course improvements undertaken by the company if the agreement is terminated, according to the court filing.
J.K. Golf and its representatives could not be reached for comment Monday.
The golf course was saved from closure in 2013 when next-door neighbors Bob and Barbara Bower, as part of BIB Real Estate Co. LLC, purchased the property to ensure it remained a public facility and out of the hands of developers who potentially sought to convert the grounds off Sardis Road into a housing plan.
Owners in the lawsuit claim the lease provision that allows the course’s existing manager to relocate all functional buildings, equipment and other items it added to the property at the expiration of the agreement is ambiguous.
The deal also includes a requirement that the golf course manager maintain the original condition of the property at the end of the lease, according to the court filing.
The property owners claim they want a judge to clarify terms of the lease and halt J.K. Golf from removing any property or other items upon the termination of the management agreement.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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