Pennsylvania’s Country Club of the Poconos Receives Top Bid of $1.1 Million

Country Club of the Poconos Opens Bidding

The Middle Smithfield Township Board of Supervisors has opened the bidding process for the Country Club of the Poconos, with a leading bid coming to light from Rise Select.

Bidders on the Public Golf Course

Various bids have been placed by several entities including Ryan Schmidt of Rise Select, Amit Patel from AMBE Hotels W Falls LLC, Sebastian Rametta representing OPUS Partners LLC, and La Chiesa LLC.

The Highest Bid

It appears the most competitive bid for the public golf course is from Rise Select, offering $1 million along with a buyer’s premium of $100,000, pushing the total purchase price to $1.1 million.

End of an Era for Middle Smithfield Township

Board of Supervisors Chairperson, Annette Atkinson, reminisced that this development signalled “the end of an era.” She expressed her gratitude, acknowledging the efforts of many. “Middle Smithfield Township continues to attract economic development to the area,” she said.

Supervisor Michael Dwyer shared in this sentiment, reflecting on the past 12-13 years. He emphasised the collective effort made not just by the supervisors, but by the community at large.

In February 2010, Middle Smithfield Township acquired the golf course for free, along with 400 acres of undeveloped land and two development roads. This was part of a deal which resulted in buying 176,000 gallons of unused sewage treatment capacity for $2 million, a $6 million valuation based on the capacity.

A Community Effort

Atkinson praised the dedicated efforts of many in the township and in Monroe County. She expressed her delight at the confidence that developers have shown in the board and the community.

Overview of the Bids

• Rise Select: $1 million with a buyer’s premium of $100,000 for a total of $1.1 million.
• AMBE Hotels W Falls LLC: $786,363.64 with a buyer’s premium of $78,636.36 for a total of $865,000.
• Opus Partners LLC: $751,500 with a buyer’s premium of $75,150 for a total of $826,650.
• La Chiesa LLC: $667,979.09 with a buyer’s premium of $66,797.91 for a total of $734,777.

The board of supervisors accepted the bids for legal review and Carrie Wetherbee, an attendee, encouraged the supervisors to “take the highest bid.”

Commitment to the Golf Course

Ryan Schmidt of Rise Select, who joined the meeting via Zoom, expressed his excitement to work with Middle Smithfield and to improve the golf course. He said, “We’re very, very excited to get our hands in there, get dirty, and start to meet a bunch of you and just work interactively with the community.”

Another representative of Rise Select, Joe Kovacs, confirmed their plans to maintain the property as a golf course.

Positive Outlook

Sebastian Rametta, representing OPUS Partners LLC, commended the supervisors and the township’s team. He highlighted the effectiveness of the board and the positive implications for the community.

Atkinson pointed out the economic benefits of the new development. “It increases the Local Services Tax (LST) which we give to the fire and EMS company,” she said. “It increases your earned income tax, so this will eliminate a tax burden and decrease the expense of owning and operating a golf course and banquet hall, so the taxpayers should be very pleased.”