If there's a hot summer, the golf courses will suffer, Golf Maintenance Manager Keith Ihms warned the board of directors at its regular May meeting on Thursday.
Last year was a good summer for his department with little watering needed, so he was able to get by with a small staff. No one knows what the weather will be this summer and damages to the golf courses may affect the POA's marketing efforts.
Ihms asked for seven full-time maintenance workers, explaining several part-time positions were never filled last year. He believes it would be easier to hire full-time workers and he could keep them busy over the winter with special projects.
Full time workers get benefits, so combining two part-time positions isn't the same. The estimated cost of the seven positions in 2016 is $228,480. The cost for the rest of this year would be partially offset by the unused money for the part-time positions that haven't been filled.
"It would be a hard sell (to the membership)," board member Dave Barfield said. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to raise the monthly assessments over the past two years. Barfield suggested the Golf Division should consider other ways to cut maintenance costs, even closing courses on a rotating basis.
Ihms said he has considered all cost cutting methods and each course is now closed one day a week for maintenance.
He pointed out one full-time position was removed at the Metfield complex in 2012. Metfield is made up of one 18-hole course and one nine-hole course, so the four-person staff there is covering 27 holes. The other five 18-hole courses each have four full-time positions. In 2003, each course had five full-time positions.
Board member Ruth Hatcher suggested restoring the fifth position at Metfield immediately and tabling the other six positions. Ihms was asked to come to the next work session on June 11 to discuss all alternatives.
n CLUBHOUSES -- Several projects were moved along when the board considered old business. At the Highlands Clubhouse a lease is under consideration with a restaurant owner from Pineville, Mo. If the lease is signed, the association will repair a walk in cooler and a range hood for an estimated cost of $52,000.
While the cooler was included in the 2015 budget, $34,000 for the grill will be moved from reserves.
After the last work session, POA Finance Director Dwain Mitchell said the potential lessee is now operating Red Hills Burgertime in Pineville, Mo. He is planning a full-service restaurant in the Highlands with some home style cooking.
At the Metfield Clubhouse, a snack bar will be added to the pro shop and an exercise room will be put into the space that was once the restaurant. To make space for the exercise room, the Membership Services Department will be moved into the former kitchen area. The multipurpose Dogwood Room would be left intact. The cost of those changes would be more than $300,000.
The exercise equipment is already on its way to Bella Vista, said Vice Chairman Brad Morris. It might be installed temporarily in the Dogwood Room until its permanent space is ready.
n BRANCHWOOD -- The board approved $33,000 for plans to begin work at the former Branchwood Golf Course. The first priority will be an eight-foot concrete walking trail, which may eventually complement a citywide trail system. It won't follow the course of the old cart path, since that was prone to flood damage. The plans will include the engineering work necessary to go out for bids on construction. Some $150,000 was budgeted for the Branchwood project in 2015.
n BERKSDALE GOLF COURSE -- The bridge over Sugar Creek near the 18th hole is visibly leaning, board member John Nuttall said. Another flood event may close half the Berksdale course, since the bridge traps debris that could dam the creek. The board voted to move $39,000 from reserves to pay for the engineering needed for a new bridge. Once the documents are completed, the project will be bid by local contractors.
n FEE SCHEDULE -- The board considered two changes to the fee schedule recommended by the administration. One, taking affect in January 2016, will reinstate a fee to use the stump dump. Barfield said he didn't like the idea of an about-face on the fee, which was dropped to encourage new construction, but he would approve it. He suggested they discuss the specific amount during budget talks.
The family outdoor pool pass will admit six family members beginning this summer. It had covered five people, but other pools in the region use the higher number and the administration was receiving complaints.
n NEW BOARD -- This was the last meeting for the current board of directors. In June, three newly elected board members, Josh Hart, Pat Laury and Ron Stratton will replace Charlie Teal, Joan Glubczynski and Mike Erixon who resigned in January. A fourth seat is open and will be filled by appointment. The new board will make the appointment for the one-year term.
General News on 05/27/2015