County to pay $55,000 to stop lawsuit threat over golf club renovation contract

DeKalb County agreed Tuesday to pay $55,000 to a company that threatened to sue the county over its handling of a contract to renovate bunkers at the county's Mystery Valley Golf Club.

In a unanimous vote (6-0-0) that came after an executive session, the Board of Commissioners approved the payment to Minnesota-based Duininck, Inc., which had been awarded a $190,000 contract in May 2020 to renovate existing golf course bunkers within the estimated 27,000 square-foot area of the golf club property.  

In their action on Tuesday, commissioners voted to "approve a settlement of threatened litigation by Duininck, Inc., related to Duininck, Inc.'s work on the Mystery Valley bunker renovation project. To resolve this threatened litigation, the county will issue payment to Duininck, Inc. in the total amount of $55,000 in return for Duininck, Inc.'s execution of a settlement agreement with release and waiver of claims."

In June 2020, after the contract award, the county reduced the size of the job citing budget constraints. Duininck then asked for a price increase per square foot to reflect the change. The county considered rescinding the contract award a few months later, but in October 2020, commissioners unanimously voted to add another $50,000 to Duininck's contract. 

The Mystery Valley Golf Course is an 18-hole, par 72 course located by Mystery Valley Lake, between Stone Mountain and Lithonia. A draft of the county's master plan for parks says the course's visitor center and golf-cart storage area need renovations. It also suggests the construction of four tennis courts or eight pickleball courts at the county facility.