He proposed to manage it for five years and keep the revenues, while donating the money for renovations.Įdwards called the deal off after the St. Petersburg more than $10 million to run the Mahaffey Theater. It owed more than $95,000 in taxes in addition to the mortgage.Įdwards, who could not be reached for comment for this article, is not new to trying to save troubled businesses. Only seven months after that building was finished, the club filed for bankruptcy. A rendering of the project in the club's lobby places the structure where tennis courts now stand, at the same height as the club's recently built Mediterranean-style building. No details were available on the new dry dock building Ellsworth said it was still being planned.
THE CLUB AT TREASURE ISLAND PRO
In 2007, the club completed a $7.1 million project that added a 30,000-square-foot building with a banquet hall for weddings and parties, a fitness center, spa and massage room and pro shop for tennis and boating. The workout room has been revamped, and the activities now include "dive-in" movies by the pool, wine tasting events and spinning classes. Downstairs, the bar has been lowered to elbow height. On Wednesdays, the dining room offers a 1-1/4 pound lobster dinner for $16.95. Inside the club, a wall has been knocked down in the second-floor dining room, creating a roomier, less pretentious feel. For snowbirds, the club is offering to waive monthly dues for three to six months.
That includes dining, recreation and entertainment benefits. Long off-limits to outsiders, the Treasure Island club is now offering "preview memberships" for $99 a month for up to three months. Petersburg Yacht Club does not disclose the amount of its initiation fee, but its Web site says new members who belong to the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs pay a discounted fee of $2,500. They are now $235 for a family and $190 for an individual. The old monthly dues were $250 for a family. Membership prices have been slashed, and deals are being offered. You have to lean forward in the foxhole and get things done." "You have to be on your game right now in these times. "We're working very hard to increase our membership," said Ellsworth. Irving "Butch" Ellsworth, the former manager of John's Pass Marina and a former city commissioner, is now the yacht club's executive vice president of operations. Edwards has hired an old hand from the local marina scene. Some key positions in the 50-member staff were also revamped. "A lot of people left because of that assessment," Engelskirger said. With Edwards' purchase the club went from nonprofit to private, and in that process, everyone had to reapply. Some of the exodus came after the club imposed a $50 "assessment" on member-owners during the bankruptcy proceedings. It wasn't all the economy, said Sara Engelskirger, the club's new general manager. Before the purchase, the club had about 700 members. All of the changes are geared toward attracting new members.