Marjorie Thomas — the widow of golf pro Alan Thomas who oversaw the Manteca municipal golf course for 40 years — will continue in that capacity through June 30.
The City Council approved an addendum to the contract Tuesday to assure smooth operations of the course would continue while the city worked on deciding what to do next.
The contract change will also provide Thomas with $2,500 per month for April, May and June in addition to the terms of the original contract that includes the golf course pro — or consultant in this case — retaining 10 percent of all green fees collected. The rest goes to the city to help cover golf course maintenance costs.
To assure a seamless transition when Alan Thomas passed away Feb. 7, staff transferred the existing contract to Thomas’ wife, Marjorie Thomas, with an expiration date of March 31, 2017. That allowed the staff that worked with Thomas to remain in place to serve the golfing public.
Alan Thomas  had notified the city on Jan. 5 he would be resigning as of March 31, 2017 due to health reasons. His contract would have expired on Dec. 31, 2017.
Staff has contracted with Gene Krekorian of Pro Forma Advisors to fashion an updated “independent review and assessment” of the golf course operations. Krekorian performed a similar study last decade. The information the consultant comes up with will help the city make future decisions regarding the long-term course operations. The study is costing the city $13,470.
Parks & Recreation Director Kevin Fant told the council the plan was to have that study in hand prior to June 30 to help the city to determine the best way to go forward with the golf course.
The staff also has had conversations with PGA Employment Consultants, golf course management companies, and nearby golf course managers to help determine the best management options for the pro shop.
Among suggested long-term options advanced so far by staff and council members are:
ucontracting with a new golf course professional.
ucontracting with a golf course management company that would put a head golf pro in place.
uthe city taking over the pro shop and running it with staff that is on the municipal payroll given   that the city does all of the maintenance and upkeep of the course using municipal staff.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com