Fayette County schools owns a golf course. Would selling it help budget shortfall?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fayette schools face a $16M shortfall; selling golf course floated
- Meadowbrook Golf Course lease nets $1 yearly; appraised value stands at $2.7M.
- City, school district have discussed selling property in the past
Some parents are wondering if the Fayette County Public Schools can sell a 27-acre golf course it owns behind Southern Elementary and Southern Middle schools to make up for a $16 million shortfall.
The Meadowbrook Golf Course, which is leased to the city for $1 a year, is the only par-3 golf course in the city.
It has been owned by the Fayette County School district for decades.
Mathew Vied, a parent who has been critical of the school system’s aborted attempt to raise occupational taxes, said the golf course should be sold to generate much-needed revenue.
“They should be looking under a lot of rocks to find savings and as such, it is certainly no time to be owning valuable real estate that serves no educational purpose,” Vied said.
“FCPS is neither a charitable trust nor a parks and recreation department. They should not own a golf course. It is a valuable asset that should be sold. If the city feels it should have an affordable golfing option for the public to access, it should buy Meadowbrook from FCPS at market value.”
Fayette County Property Value Administration records show the golf course at 400 Wilson Downing Road is worth $2.7 million.
Fayette County Public Schools Spokesperson Dia Davidson -Smith said Tuesday the district acquired the golf course in the 1960s to build Southern Middle and Elementary Schools.
Selling the golf course would only provide a one-time influx of cash and does not address any school district recurring budget shortfalls, she said.
In 1968, the school board and city entered into an agreement to lease unused school property for a public golf course for $1 per year, she said.
“This agreement has been mutually beneficial, allowing the Board to avoid maintenance and upkeep costs of the grounds and facilitating LFUCG a way to offer an affordable recreation space for families, seniors and young adults on Lexington’s only par-three golf course,” said Davidson-Smith.
After Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said the school system did not provide the legally required notice before it voted to recommend the Fayette County Fiscal Court raise the occupational tax, the Fayette County School Board decided to table the tax increase for now.
The board has formed a task force to look at other ways to either raise revenue or make cuts. State Auditor Allison Ball has also said she will conduct a special audit of the school system.
“.As the FCPS board begins engaging a diverse and representative group of stakeholders to evaluate the current budget, the group will evaluate this and other opportunities to meet the district’s fiscal needs,” said Davidson-Smith.
School system tried to sell golf course before
The city and the school system have been back-and-forth on the ownership of the golf course for nearly 50 years.
“The county tried to purchase the land from the school board prior to merger, but the asking price was too high,” said Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for the city.
The city and county merged in 1974. “The county agreed to build the golf course and lease it from FCPS. Sometime after the government merger, the city wanted to purchase the land. FCPS had the land appraised and the asking price is believed to have been $1,500,000, which the city said no to. “
The city leased the property for $1 a year. In exchange, the city allows high school golf teams to use city courses.
,In 2002, the city and school district reached an agreement where two acres of the golf course would be traded for two acres at Gainesway Park, according to an Oct. 14, 2002, school board agenda.
Under the agreement, the city would pay the appraised value -- $751,500 -- for the remaining 25 acres of golf course. The district would receive $75,150 a year for the next 10 years before turning over the golf course to the city.
The agreement was signed by the city and school district in 2003.
The school district took ownership of the two acres at Gainesway Park, which backs up to Tates Creek High School, and built a softball field.
The city never moved forward with purchasing the golf course. In 2005, the school district eventually paid the city $60,000 for the two acres at Gainesway, according to Herald-Leader articles at the time.
In 2007, the school district announced it was putting the golf course up for sale again.
The city had the option to purchase it.
At the time, late Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman Julian Beard said neighbors had concerns about the 27-acre site being sold and developed. It’s one of the only green spaces left in the 4th Council District, which includes areas south of New Circle Road in the Tates Creek area.
The golf course also helps protect neighboring homes from flooding, Beard told the Lexington Herald-Leader in 2007.
Ultimately the city never purchased the golf course and the school district didn’t sell it.
But Meadowbrook has also faced being shut down by the city.
During tight budgets, the city has floated shutting Meadowbrook down multiple times including most recently in 2010, when then-Mayor Jim Gray proposed closing Meadowbrook to make up a shortfall of about $27 million. Those plans were ultimately scuttled after outcry from golfers and Meadowbrook’s neighbors.
Meadowbrook golfers are avid fans of the par 3 course and have successfully rallied to save it each time there was a proposal to sell the land or close it, city officials have said.
“We greatly appreciate, and more importantly, the public appreciates the opportunity to lease Meadowbrook Golf Course,” Straub said.
“For many years, we have had a mutually supportive, give-and-take relationship with Fayette County Public Schools at Meadowbrook and at many other places across the county, as we both work to do our best for the public.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
