Board approves $5,000 county match for Friends of Bear Creek clubhouse project

The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors approved a $5,000 county match to support the Friends of Bear Creek Clubhouse project’s application for a CAT grant.

A presenter for the Friends of Bear Creek (a 501(c)(3)) told the board the multi‑part project at Bear Creek Golf Course includes a new clubhouse, a fleet of golf carts and a maintenance shed. The project budget is $2.35 million; the presenter said donors have committed approximately $1.5 million and the CAT grant request is $705,000 (the maximum 30% match). "On the conservative side, with these three things would be a $48,000 increase in revenue for Bear Creek up to about $147,000 revenue," the presenter said, summarizing a pro forma prepared by the project committee.

The presenter asked the board for a $5,000 county match, similar to other county contributions to local CAT grant projects. Supervisor Derby moved to approve the county participation through a resolution; Supervisor Smith seconded, and the motion passed. Board members discussed contacting Hancock County for additional support because some facilities and parts of the course span county lines; presenters noted the new buildings discussed would be in Winnebago County, with the maintenance shed located in Hancock County.

The board asked staff to coordinate signatures, finalize the resolution number and circulate the signed document. The presenter said the Friends group has been working on the project for six years and had engaged donors and a community survey supporting the need for dual‑purpose venue space.