Converting a golf course into a concert venue comes with a 92-page contract that details everything you want to know except who's actually going to perform.
On Monday night, Denver City Council chose to delay a vote on the contract to allow a three-day music festival on the grounds of Overland Park Golf Course for the next five years.
The vote will take place on July 31, after council members get a chance to review the contract details.
Superfly Productions, which already puts on festivals like Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Outside Lands in San Francisco, wants to take over the golf course near Santa Fe and Evans Avenue for a three-day concert on the second or third Friday, Saturday, Sunday of September from 2018 through 2022.
Who will perform is not part of the agreement. Though, next month's Outside Lands festival will have Metallica, The Who, A Tribe Called Quest, Lorde and The Avett Brothers among dozens more.
The contract would fill the bank account of the city's golf enterprise fund, which is the way golf courses are funded, since they do not receive general fund dollars.
Superfly would have to pay $200,000 each year to rent the golf course for five weeks. The course would close two weeks before the event and three weeks after the event. If it were to stay closed longer, Superfly would owe Denver $5,000 per day. If it were opened earlier, the city would refund $5,000 per day.
However, the city also plans to credit Superfly $200,000 for police, fire and trash service each year.
The city would get $90,000 each year for maintenance and repairs, even though Superfly would have to make the golf course at or better than they found it.
In addition, Superfly would pay $25,000 for discounts the city would offer golfers who have to go play at other city courses. However, if you've never played at Overland Park before, you wouldn't be eligible for a discount elsewhere. I asked, The city said it tracks. I still need to find out how.
The parking lot at Aqua Golf, the driving range across from the golf course, would be rented for $8,000 and converted into an "Uber lot." There are only 49 parking spots in that lot, so even if they were being used as parking, they would have to be sold at more than $54 each day to break even.
The city would also make money from a special 10 percent tax added to each ticket sale. Two dollars from each daily ticket, and $6 from a three-day pass, would go to the city. One dollar from each ticket, and $2 from a three-day pass, would go to a special Overland Park community fund.
There is also a provision to start with 3,000 complimentary tickets, but no indication on how they would be distributed. It is spelled out, though, that city staff would get 100 free tickets.
All of the tee boxes and greens would have to be fenced off, but the rest of the golf course would be used for the festival.
The festival is estimating 40,000 tickets sold for each of the three shows in the first year, resulting in about $1.5 million for the city, but no one has revealed how much the tickets might cost.
City Council will vote on the contract at its July 31 meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at the City and County Building. If approved, the first concert would not be until September 2018.
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