The Joint Advisory Committee on Recreation resumed discussions about the Branchwood Golf Course at its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 15.
The committee has been considering the fate of the nine-hole golf course that has been closed since it was flooded in early August 2013. A frequent visitor to the committee meetings, Linda Turner, reported that the course needs maintenance.
"Branchwood was beautiful, now it's a mess," Turner said. She lives adjacent to the course and said she's been picking up downed limbs herself.
Vice chairman Bill Puskas distributed a printed copy of an email exchange with POA General Manager Tommy Bailey. Puskas asked for cost estimates for several proposals. Bailey provided the estimates, but warned that in some cases, a professional opinion is needed to develop a firm estimate.
The cost to return Branchwood to its former condition as a nine-hole, low-maintenance golf course would be about $600,000. That doesn't include changes needed to make the course compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. To determine those costs, the POA would need to consult a golf course architect.
Bailey said it probably isn't practical to replace the concrete paths with gravel or wood chips because of the topography of the course. Rain would wash away those materials, he said.
Puskas also asked how much it might cost to make Branchwood into a "pristine" golf course like the other courses in Bella Vista Village. Bailey replied there has never been a study on those costs, but it would probably be between $1.2 million and $1.6 million. It would cost about $300,000 to upgrade the paths so carts could be used safely, he said.
Developing a very short course -- three to five holes -- and making the rest of the course "into a neighborhood" would be more expensive if the "valley" holes were used -- $300,000 to $500,000. If the holes on the hill were used, the cost would be $150,000 to $200,000.
Finally, Bailey reported that the cost of maintaining the course has been about $85,000 a year.
The committee will recommend that maintenance resume at the course to benefit the adjacent homeowners and will consider a future recommendation about the fate of the course after the upcoming assessment election.
Also under old business, the committee discussed signs directing people to the amenities. POA Board member Brad Morris, a liaison to the committee, said the board has directed Bailey to research prices for signs similar to the metal wayfarer signs that the city financed.
The members agreed that painting the existing wooden signs might improve visibility.
Finally, chairman Ron Jones reminded the committee that they had been asked to study the amenities study prepared by consultants last year and use it to make future recommendations about recreation in the village.
Sports on 04/23/2014