Jul. 29—The operator of a Murrysville golf course claims the landlord wants to take over what has become a successful business.
J.K. Golf Inc., the operator of the Murrysville Golf Club, filed a lawsuit this week seeking an arbitration panel be convened to determine the future of the 18-hole course on Sardis Road.
According to the court filing, J.K. Golf claims landlord BIB Real Estate has refused to negotiate terms of a three-year contract extension to continue golf course operations.
"It's evident they don't want (J.K. Golf) to continue operating the course," said attorney James Creenan. "Now that (the operator) has made the golf course sustainable, they want to take it away from him."
Creenan said the management company's existing 10-year deal with his landlord expires next spring but allows it to invoke two three-year options with renegotiated rents. He claims the landlord has been unresponsive to negotiations and actively worked to scuttle a deal.
J.K. Golf pays $1 annually to rent the golf course property, according to court documents.
BIB Real Estate purchased the property in 2013 amid concerns that private developers might buy the 137-acre golf course to convert the grounds into a housing plan. The company leased the course operations to J.K. Golf, which managed the golf club over the prior decade.
The landowners filed a lawsuit in June asking a county judge intervene in the contract dispute and bar J.K. Golf from closing the course and removing buildings and equipment it installed and upgraded over the prior decade should a deal on a new contract not be reached. That case is still pending.
Creenan denied there was any consideration by J.K. Golf to close the course and remove any property from the site.
Attorneys for the real estate company did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Creenan said the latest court filing is intended to ensure the golf course remains open.
"They are taking steps to interfere and they are certainly trying to drive him away from the course," Creenan said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .