Sartell, Three Tees LLC Ready To Sign Pine Ridge Golf Course Purchase Agreement

(KNSI) – The City of Sartell and Three Tees LLC will close on a purchase agreement for the Pine Ridge Golf Course Wednesday.

Two changes to the document were accepted at last week’s city council meeting. Both Three Tees LLC and Boulder Ridge, who operates the course for Sartell, asked that the construction start date for clubhouse renovations be pushed from October 31st, 2024, to March 31st, 2025, so that it won’t affect this year’s golf season.

Three Tees has a right to terminate Boulder Ridge’s contract as operator but must give one year’s notice. The new language would ensure that construction could be pushed off until after the relationship is ended.

The city also agreed to a new exhibit for the purchase agreement that would spell out how Three Tees LLC could split off a portion of the 81 acres for development separate from operating Pine Ridge. Administrator Anna Gruber told council members that there are significant restrictions in place on how much the new owner would be able to modify the land.

It is required that a nine hole, par 36 course be in place for decades. Three Tees says it would consider selling some frontage on the south side of the property for development along Pine Cone Road in the future. That would likely take adjustments to the course layout but with the minimum par restriction in place, the amount of frontage sold would be limited.

If the property is altered, the exhibit details how covenants in place for the golf course would be released. Mayor Ryan Fitzthum voted against the amendment, saying it is a missed opportunity for the city to realize revenue from the property.

Gruber responded that development is also a risk, which is why a professional realtor has been hired to help sell the Champion Plat that was part of the Verso Paper Mill land purchase. The city would still benefit from development through an enhanced tax base even if it did not play a direct role in the building of a new mixed-use retail complex.

The measure passed 3-1.

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