LYONS, Kan. (AP) — A Rice County businessman is considering buying a nine-hole private golf course in Lyons and making it public.

Gene Zaid, founder of JACAM Chemicals, said discussions about the Town and Country Club are in its preliminary stages. He has asked the Lyons City Council for breaks on city water rights for irrigation at the club. Any deal on the course would not involve the chemical company.

The Hutchinson News reports that the Lyons City Council will take up a formal resolution on the water rate request next week but it voted last week to waive fees on half the annual irrigation costs for the course, with a cap of $6,500.

The 40-acre private course is a 2,902-yard, par-35 course, with an appraised value of $174,540.