Kent’s Riverbend Golf Complex gets 72 new golf carts

Seventy-two new golf carts are available to rent at the city of Kent-owned Riverbend Golf Complex.

The City Council approved the lease Jan. 18 of 36 electric and 36 gas-powered carts as well as three utility carts at a cost of $333,277 over the four-year term or $83,319 per year, to be paid to Pacific Golf and Turf, of Snohomish.

The city replaces all of the carts after every four years, said Pete Petersen, Riverbend Golf Complex manager, in a Jan. 6 report to the council’s Parks and Human Services Committee.

“We average about 15,000 cart rentals a year and about $200,000 in revenue per year,” Petersen said.

That revenue covers the cost of the carts as part of the annual Riverbend Golf Complex budget. The current cost to rent a cart is $18 per rider for 18 holes.

Petersen said he often gets asked why the city doesn’t buy only electric carts.

“We would love to have all electric but we are at our capacity for our electrical ability to charge carts,” Petersen said. “Down the road, we would love to extend that so we have all electric.”

Through a formal recruitment process that included requests for proposals, the Parks Department selected Pacific Golf and Turf.

The carts are critical to the overall customer experience and playability at the course and allow Riverbend to keep its on-site maintenance costs low and public equipment in high-quality condition, according to city documents. The 18-hole course is at 2019 W. Meeker St.

Petersen said the lease is about $2,000 a month higher than the previous agreement from five years ago. He said the costs of the carts and lithium batteries have increased. But he said the batteries are maintenance free for five years and will reduce operating costs by about $7,500 per year compared to the previous fleet.