Staff says city solicitor found conflict of interest with current golf-course restaurant operator; members plan quick re-bid

A staff member told the Gardner City meeting that the city solicitor believes the current golf-course restaurant provider has a conflict of interest because the person is a city employee, and urged the committee to prepare a contingency plan if that operator cannot run the facility this season.

The staff member said timing is urgent: if the committee decides to start a bid process, central register postings must be submitted by Wednesday by 3:00 a.m., and a two-week posting would put bid openings in early April. The staff member said rewriting procurement language with the purchasing office and the city solicitor may be necessary to allow an employee to leave a full-time, benefited position and be paid to operate the restaurant seasonally.

Committee members discussed interim options while procurement is resolved. One member suggested bringing in a food truck as a stopgap; staff said food trucks need health-department permits and that using the existing kitchen equipment would be faster if a qualified operator is available. The group also discussed contract-term options (one-, three- or five-year terms) and noted that longer terms would likely require city council involvement.

The committee agreed to meet again on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to decide whether to begin the bid process and to finalize contract language so postings can be submitted on the required schedule. A staff member recommended preparing parallel plans—re-bidding, encouraging the incumbent to bid if legally allowed, and arranging interim vendors—to avoid having no food service when the golf season opens.

"It is the opinion of the city solicitor that there is a conflict of interest with the current restaurant provider, because he is an employee," the staff member said. The same staff member added, "The restaurant is top priority over everything right now," urging the committee to act quickly.

The meeting produced no formal procurement decision at this session; members set the follow-up meeting and assigned staff to get legal and purchasing guidance ahead of that meeting.