Harrisonburg to hire consultant to study golf course's profitability

At a meeting Tuesday night, the Harrisonburg City Council asked staff to hire a consultant to study the financial stability of Heritage Oaks Golf Course.

The golf course has been a point of debate for decades; some arguing the city should

while others believe it is a

On average, the golf course close to half a million dollars a year. The consultant will be tasked with finding ways to decrease expenses or increase profit.

"We will be looking for some companies in the near future to look at the finances with the course, and how it has been used and consider potential options for what we can do with that in the future," said spokesman Mike Parks. "Everything from keeping it open it as it is, reducing it to nine holes, or maybe even other uses for that property that the city can consider for the future."

Parks said there is no timeline for the study.