Last week, county supervisors voted to purchase the San Geronimo Valley Golf Course within one year from the Trust for Public Land, which signed an option-to-purchase agreement for a maximum of $8.85 million last month, with the idea of creating new open space. The county is hoping to find an outside operator to keep the course open for two years, but so far has had no luck. Administrator Matthew Hymel said none of the six regional operators contacted by county staff were willing to assume the business risk of running the course, and that Marin could stand to lose at least $150,000 if it chose to subsidize the operation. He added that the county would hire a consultant in the spring to make another attempt at finding an interim operator. To finance the acquisition, the county will draw nearly $4 million from existing county funds but will have to secure the remaining $4.94 million from state and private donors by the end of next year. Carl Somers, chief of planning and acquisition for Marin County Parks, told the board last week that the California State Coastal Conservancy will likely provide a $750,000 grant for the acquisition—with $100,000 set aside for public outreach and community envisioning. “The outreach would be designed to give a broad view of the property’s potential,” Mr. Somers said. County staff plan to host workshops with valley residents as soon as early next year to develop a long-term vision for the property, which some critics pointed out was meant to be maintained as a golf course, according to the San Geronimo Valley Community Plan.