Chuck Wipf, an engineer with Crafton Tull, told the POA Board that the cart bridge near Berksdale's hole 18 should be replaced. He was invited to the April work session on Thursday, April 10, to present his review of golf course bridges.
His plan to make necessary repairs is spread out over several years.
One piling under the Berksdale bridge is bent, probably a result of flood debris, he said. A single-span bridge that allows debris to flow under the arch is a better choice, he said.
The bridges Wipf designs are meant to last 75 years and can hold any vehicle that is legal on the highway. Even cement trucks can use the bridges, he said.
Board member Brad Morris asked about saving costs by building a bridge for a smaller loads, but General Manager Tommy Bailey said the last time the POA built a bridge, they were asked to engineer it so a fire truck could use it.
Wipf pointed out that people often question what type of vehicles can use the bridge and sometimes those questions can be difficult to answer if it's something other than the legal highway limit.
At its monthly meeting on Thursday, the board will consider whether to cast votes during the May election for the 587 lots the association owns. Chairman Charlie Teal said the discussion about casting the votes should be public.
Bailey said the association did cast votes for lots it owned in the 2004 assessment election, but he asked attorney Doug McCash for an opinion this time. The governing documents say any lot owner in good standing with the association receives one vote for each lot.
Good standing is usually defined as paying the monthly assessment on time and Bailey said that the association doesn't pay itself a monthly assessment, but he still considers the lots to be in good standing.
In 2004 an increase to $18 for unimproved lots and $48 for improved lots was defeated by more than 10,000 votes. The last successful assessment increase election was in 2001 when the two-tier system was adopted.
The Rules and Regulations Committee talked about contracts last week, member Mike Erixon told the board. The committee and the general manager don't agree on one policy change that the committee had planned to bring up.
Last week, the committee asked McCash to draft a policy that would put a board member on the committee that selects the winning bid on capitol projects, but Bailey said he asked McCash to leave that out of the policy.
The selection committee is an operating committee, Bailey explained, and board members should not be part of day-to-day operations. Erixon said the committee disagrees and he plans to discuss the issue more thoroughly.
However, the board will vote on a policy that clarifies employment contracts and a minor change in the policy that governs temporary parking permits for recreational vehicles.
Teal said he's received several emails from members about the signs on Highway 71 on the north and south entrances to Bella Vista. The POA tore down both signs and people want to know what will replace them. Bailey said he's looking for a cost effective way to replace the signs, but he doesn't know how long it will take.
General News on 04/16/2014