A Community-Based Restoration of Triggs Is Needed - Ciccone and Hull
Saturday, October 22, 2022
For the past thirty-three years, the City of Providence has leased the management of Triggs Memorial Golf Course to the same business, FCG Associates. This has been a lucrative arrangement for the owners who have made great profits over these decades, but with lackluster results for golfers and the community.
Our historic Donald Ross-designed golf course has been starved of needed maintenance and investment, the clubhouse and facilities have been neglected into disarray, and community engagement has been all but ignored. Fortunately, there’s an opportunity to end this disappointing status quo, as the City will consider proposals for a new management contract on Wednesday, October 26th at 9 am at Roger Williams Parks Casino.
As state elected officials for the Mount Pleasant and Manton neighborhoods, home to Triggs, we write in support of the proposal from the Rhode Island Golf Association (RIGA). As the state’s nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving golf in Rhode Island, the RIGA has a century-plus track record as stewards of the game and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the community.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHeadquartered at Button Hole, the non-profit golf learning facility it helped create in 1998 to teach inner-city children lessons in golf and in life – honesty, humility, perseverance, and respect, the RIGA also unified men’s and women’s golf associations under its roof in 2015, which is now a national trend.
While the RIGA is not only offering the highest lease payments to the City and unmatched capital improvements in excess of $9 million, including a new clubhouse facility and a complete golf course restoration, their community engagement and partnership plans have significant and meaningful value.
The RIGA would create an oversight committee to ensure the community is at the table guiding the long-term vision for Triggs. It would facilitate the growth of Button Hole Kids with summer camps and a free level-up playing program at Triggs for Button Hole Kids. It would direct portions of the greens fees at Triggs to fund community golf programs and a scholarship program with the Burke Fund to help city residents working in the golf industry pay for college tuition.
The RIGA is also committed to growing a diverse workforce in the golf industry, and proposes the creation of a “Providence Golf Works” program. A collaboration with the Rhode Island Building & Construction Trades Council, the program would recruit and teach community residents various aspects of the golf industry and support workforce opportunities.
Providence deserves a partner who will truly invest in Triggs and our community, rather than another lost decade of profits flowing out of Triggs to a fortunate few. The RIGA is the clear choice for Providence’s future.
Senator Frank Ciccone, District 7, Providence
Representative Ray Hull, District 6, Providence
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