Paul Kim

Paul Kim Phone: 250-752-6311 Fax: 250-752-7932

Eaglecrest owner Paul Kim has changed his plans for the golf course.
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Golf course owner Paul Kim will put only $750,000 into reno

Regardless of what shape the Eaglecrest Golf Course clubhouse is in, owner Paul Kim will only be spending $750,000 to fix it up.

"It's going to be one of those things where you look at your budget and you pick and choose," he said."We'll have to make choices as we go along."

Kim said the main focus of the renovation will have to be the roof, which has been deemed unsafe under heavy snow loads.

"First and foremost, the roof needs to be completely replaced and the structure needs to be put up to today's standards," he said."It needs a full replacing."

As well, he stressed the number two priority will be a replacement of the washroom facilities at the clubhouse, which he indicated are currently not up to standard.The banquet room, meanwhile, will also be updated.

"I want to make the banquet hall a real destination," he said."In Qualicum Beach right now it's sort of like a default destination, but we want people to want to come there.I want to have it sparkle and shine."

Last week, Kim announced he planned to renovate the existing clubhouse building, rather than demolish and build a new one, as originally planned.A new building, he explained, couldn't be built for under $2 million, while he and his family only had $750,000 available for the clubhouse project.

"We have to use that money as best we can," he said."The bottom line is we have to spend what we have.We can't go over budget on that."

Kim noted the foundation of the clubhouse appears sound, but he's not ruling out other surprises coming up once the project gets underway.

Eaglecrest Golf Course owner Paul Kim this week took steps to clear the air about how things are going at the Qualicum Beach facility.

In a newsletter to club members, Kim said he has heard a number of rumours about the golf course, including a rumour the club would close down, another that it's listed for sale, and a third suggesting he is in partnership with the previous owners.Not true, he says.

"There were rumours going around, but we wanted the truth to be known," he said of the reason he distributed the circular.

Kim said another rumour involved a reputed lack of progress in talks with the municipality.This, he said, is also not true.

"Negotiations are going slowly, but at least they are proceeding," he said."They're going forward.It's getting better."

Kim said while membership in the club has stalled at around 180, he's confident this will change.

"The people who haven't signed up yet are those who are waiting to see a covenant, and I respect that," he said.

Overall he said, progress at the golf course is going well, despite having to cancel the ladies and men's amateur tournaments this month.

"We started in March and to organize tournaments like that you need to start getting sponsorship in the late fall," he said.

Even though the sale of memberships is far below his hopes and expectations, Eaglecrest Golf Course owner Paul Kim is remaining optimistic.

Although he had set a goal of having 300 members signed up prior to the course opening on March 30, he's had to downgrade his expectation by two thirds.

"It looks like we'll probably have over 100 before opening," he says."We still have people coming in asking questions."

Kim says there are a few reasons why he believes the response has been muted.

"There's a lot of healing and reassurance that still needs to be done," he says.

Golf course owner Paul Kim will put only $750,000 into reno (Jul 03 2007)

Kim seeks support for Eaglecrest
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When Paul Kim, the potential owner of the Eaglecrest Golf Course, said he and his family were not looking to make a quick buck and leave, the packed Qualicum Beach Civic Centre burst into applause.

That positive response was a hallmark of the meeting, held Thursday night to present Kim's plans for the golf course, should he decide to purchase it from the Operating Engineers Pension Fund, the current owners.Kim stressed he needed a clear indication of support for his proposal, both politically and financially from former and prospective members.

"This is not a done deal yet," he told the crowd."I hope from this meeting to get a strong understanding of the community's needs and wants and if the plan is viable."

Kim says his family's experience running the Semiahmoo golf facility in White Rock, B.C. makes them ideal candidates to run the Eaglecrest facility.

"We feel we are the best candidate for the job in Qualicum Beach and we feel we can operate it in a manner that would be fair to the members but also viable in the long term for us," he says.

The course, under the Kims' management, would be different in several aspects from how it was under the former management.Kim says the current clubhouse would have to be torn down and a new, smaller, 5,000 square foot facility built, with five condominium units on top.
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"The membership rates are too inexpensive for 2007," Kim says."This would be very competitive, below the average market rate."

Kim says it's crucial for members to sign up as soon as possible, in order to generate the cash needed to upgrade the course.

"We need to put the money back into it as soon as possible," he says.
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"I compliment you on your presentation and on being so forthright," says Eaglecrest resident Trevor Wood to Kim.

The clubhouse at Eaglecrest in Qualicum Beach will be torn down, if the prpoosed deal to sell the golf course to Paul Kim goes through.
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If the sale of the Eaglecrest Golf Course goes through to potential owner Paul Kim, the old clubhouse won't be burned to the ground.

Kim, who says the current clubhouse facility is more of a liability than an asset because of the need for extensive maintenance, plans to build a new, 4,500 square foot clubhouse facility on the site â€" if the deal goes through.

The old clubhouse, instead, will be demolished.

Kim had hoped to have the old structure burned down with the help of the Qualicum Beach Volunteer Fire Department, but it was not to be.
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Kim says he had hoped the proposal would be good for both his family and the fire department.

"We thought we would try to do a win-win situation, giving the fire department a practice to do and help with our demolition costs, but it didn't work," he says.

The Kim proposal for the Eaglecrest Golf Course was slated to be discussed at a special public meeting Thursday night.