ORRINGTON, Maine — A bank foreclosure auction of the 18-hole Rocky Knoll Country Club is scheduled for March 15 at the financially troubled golf course.
The assessed value of the property and equipment is approximately $629,000, City Clerk Susan Carson said Tuesday, and the owners are delinquent on their taxes.
“They have two accounts, one for the leased land and another for the clubhouse and 96½ acres. Both accounts are delinquent,” Carson said. “The personal property account — that’s also in arrears.”
Barbara Bagley is the major owner and Bob Phillips, Dan Grover and Louis Daigle are minority owners of the par-72 course located at 94 River Road near the Brewer town line, Town Manager Paul White said. Tom Bryant, who is married to Bagley and is the operations manager, is an investor.
Messages left for Bagley, Bryant, Daigle and Grover were not immediately returned Tuesday. Phillips said he is not part of the daily operations and didn’t know anything about why the foreclosure was happening. Katahdin Trust foreclosed the mortgage, Carson said.
The course was designed by Phillips and consists of two adjoining land parcels that total 156.53 acres, the Keenan Auction Company listing states. The parcel that includes the back nine consists of 91.5 acres and is owned by the bank, while the front nine, consisting of more than 65 acres, is on leased land.
“The property will be sold in the entirety including all of the real estate, personal property, food service equipment, mowing equipment, golf carts, tractor, grounds maintenance equipment, golf simulators and golf rental equipment,” according to the auction site.
The lease for the Front 9 is with the Henry Wiswell trust, White said. The Wiswell farm is located across the street.
“The lease has a 20-year term with 14 years remaining and (2) 5-year renewals,” the auction listing states.
A tax lien was placed on the leased land in 2014 for the nonpayment of $2,277 and another lien was placed on the larger parcel in May 2015 for $8,958 past due, the town clerk said.
“They’ve been making some payments on that,” Carson said of the 2015 lien, adding the amount outstanding is currently $5,962.
The past-due personal property taxes amount to $1,916. The 2016 taxes are due in May.
“Hopefully somebody will pick that up and get it up and running again,” White said Tuesday, saying he was saddened by the foreclosure. “It’s been pretty good for Orrington.”
The lot also includes “a revenue generating lease” for an approximately 1-acre parcel with a cellphone tower that is located on the Back 9 section, the listing states.
The auction preview is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 1 and the auction is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 15.