It is probably unrealistic to think Eagle Bend Golf Course will pay for itself anytime soon, City Manager Mike Wildgen said during an online chat hosted by the Journal-World on Thursday.

Wildgen said he had accepted that the city-owned golf course below the Clinton Lake Dam may always need some sort of city subsidy.

“Given golf course development in the region, I expect our course to be popular, but not one that will necessarily pay for itself,” Wildgen wrote in response to a reader’s question. “This isn’t any different than the aquatic facilities we provide, though. They haven’t paid for themselves and won’t in the future.”

Wildgen said the city’s goal was still to keep the course – which is expected to need about a $150,000 subsidy in 2005 – “moderately” priced. Commissioners on Tuesday approved another round of fee increases for the course. The latest increases, which will take effect Jan. 1, will raise green fees by $1 per 18 holes. Commissioners on Tuesday did direct Wildgen to study the possibility that increased green fees were driving away customers instead of generating revenue.

The number of rounds played at Eagle Bend is expected to drop by about 1,000 in 2005. That’s following a $2 per 18 hole increase in green fees.

• Lawrence City Manager Mike Wildgen chats online

In other news from Thursday’s chat, Wildgen said:

¢ The city is looking into existing state statutes that would create incentive programs to slow the conversion of older single-family homes into rental properties.

¢ Progress is being made to implement a program that would allow trains to travel through North Lawrence without blowing their whistles at each crossing. Wildgen said talks with federal officials to create a railroad quiet zone had gone well.

Commissioners are expected to receive an update on the project in September. Wildgen said a couple of crossings likely would need improvements before the program could begin.

To see a complete transcript of the chat, go to www.ljworld.com.