The Gulfview Grill, a restaurant on golf course
property overlooking the Gulf of Mexico,
will remain open five days a week for breakfast
and lunch, Gaines said.

Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier, 50, who also
serves as the Isle Dauphine's golf professional
and manager, was told last week his job there
ends on Jan. 31. "This is something I've never
had to deal with in my life," Collier said.
"It's more than a job. It's been family.
It's become a part of our life. I'll have to figure out which direction I'll go in next."

Collier's post as Dauphin Island mayor is a part-time position. While the Town Council held several
public meetings in recent months to discuss making the mayor's job full-time, or to hire a town
manager, it decided last month to leave the position as it stands.

While the golf course will close, Gaines said, the property owners association has plans to reopen
the popular pool and a cabana bar in the spring. The Isle Dauphine clubhouse also will remain
available to rent for private parties, Gaines said.

In recent years, Gaines said, the 18-hole golf course has failed to turn a profit, typically losing
about $150,000 a year. The property owners association, which receives dues on a voluntary basis,
Gaines said, was able to offset the loss for a while with money earned from royalties on a trust
fund. Those funds have also declined in recent years.

"I'm distraught over this," Gaines said. "We've been grappling with this issue of what to do about
the loss for a long time."

The public course, located on the eastern side of the barrier island south of Mobile, opened
in 1960. Collier said his employment there began when he was 15. Eventually, he joined the
Professional Golfer's Association before becoming the club pro and manager.

Collier said the golf industry as a whole is struggling in a weak economy, with families focusing on
necessities before recreation. "People don't have as much money as they used to have,"
Collier said, noting that means they have less to contribute to the Dauphin Island
Property Owners Association as well. "I think it's going to be hurtful to the economy," Collier
said of the closing. "We are going to lose an attraction. This is going to hurt the community from
a jobs and tax revenue standpoint. It would bring people to the island who otherwise might not come here."

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