RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A membership effort to purchase the Rancho Murieta Country Club from Rancho Murieta Properties (RMP) is off the table.

(See “Committee Looks into Country Club Owned by Members”)

One of the organizers, Tom Shewchuk, announced the change at the Rancho Murieta Association Board meeting on Aug. 19 and at the Rancho Murieta Community Services District Board meeting on Aug. 20.

“As you guys know, we have been working with RMP to try to work out a deal to purchase the country club from them,” Shewchuk said at the Community Services District meeting. “We had a meeting last Thursday and they are no longer interested in selling it to us.

“I think that means they have another investor in mind. But our offer and our progress to close by the end of the year is off the table,” Shewchuk added.

The River Valley Times contacted Shewchuk after the two board meetings to ask him about the Aug. 14 meeting with Rancho Murieta Properties. Shewchuk said that he and Chase Armer met with Carol Anderson Ward; her husband, Dave Harp; Tom deRegt, another investor; and Tony Valez, the chief financial officer, for a status update.

“We told them we couldn’t hold to the deadline to close by the end of the year if they weren’t on board. Clearly, they weren’t on board,” Shewchuk said.

According to Shewchuk, Ward and deRegt explained that because of the water situation with the Community Services District, “They can’t sell the country club separately from all of those Villages A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, because they own all of them and so they want to keep them all tied together.”

Shewchuk added that his group is only interested in buying the club, not the development around the back lakes.

The River Valley Times contacted Ward to ask about other potential investors, specifically whether she is negotiating with AKT Development. In June, Ward sold most of the Anderson Ranch to her niece, Bri Tsakopoulos. She is married to Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, CEO and president of AKT Development, and son of real estate magnate Angelo Tsakopoulos.

Ward responded by email on Aug. 29, saying that wasn’t the case.

“No, not in discussions with AKT on other RM properties. Yes, interest in other parts being looked at by other parties but nothing worth reporting yet. I will follow up if anything moves forward,” Ward wrote.

Shewchuk was asked how far along his group was, given its plan to close by the end of the year.

He said the organizing committee was still at the grassroots stage.

“We’ve talked to 280 families. But we haven’t collected any money yet because we haven’t formed the company,” Shewchuk said.

When asked how many families had pledged money, Shewchuk declined to answer.

“I’m not going to divulge that information but 85% of the families were supportive of making improvements to the course and the club,” Shewchuk said.

Speaking at the Community Services District meeting, Shewchuk said his group would wait in the wings in case Rancho Murieta Properties’ talks with other potential investors fall through.

“I’m not taking our bids off the table, so to speak,” Shewchuk said.