At the POA Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, two new pickleball courts and two trail projects got the green light, but the more controversial trail project that would include some land that was once a golf course was tabled.
The Berksdale Golf Course was reconfigured as a nine-hole course after a 2017 flood and a later hydrology study. Two greens that were once on the west side of Highway 71 were removed. According to comments made by POA general manager Tom Judson at a previous meeting, the land is covered by deed restrictions that prevent commercial development. It can only be used for recreation.
The POA board cannot sell land without a vote by the entire membership, so most of the trails on common property are "licensed" for 25 years to the Trailblazers, the group that has built the new mountain bike trails around Bella Vista. It covers the cost of construction while the POA and the city cover maintenance expenses.
Recently, the Trailblazers proposed a trailhead and a short, hard-surfaced, looping trail next to Riordan Road. There is also a tunnel planned to go under Riordan Road that doesn't involve the POA. It was one of three trail projects that the board has been considering.
Board member Mike Abb said he believes the project would be a way of replacing the Lake Bella Vista trail which is no longer a loop because of damage to the dam. Bella Vista needs more easy walking trails, he argued. It would also provide access to Little Sugar Creek.
"I am definitely opposed to licensing an extremely valuable ... piece of land," board member Sandy Fosdick said. She believes that the number of people playing golf is rising and the POA may need to add golf holes. Even with the flooding issues, she thinks it would be easier and less expensive to rebuild the nine holes at Berksdale than to build another golf course from scratch.
"I don't see this as taking away from something that doesn't exist now and will be problematic in the future," Jan Hagan said. It was his first meeting as a member of the board and he reminded the group that he was formerly a director of a youth golf program and he believes golf is important.
Teah Bidwell said the trailhead seems to be fixing a city issue. Trail users have been parking in private businesses in the area, but there is already a trailhead located close by on POA land. Also, she suggested that the POA should have a long-range plan before making a decision.
Eventually, the board agreed to table the motion and discuss it again at the monthly general managers meeting which is closed to the public. The delay will give board members the chance to talk to members and gather input about the plan.
The two projects that were approved include an "adaptive" trail near Rillington Road along with two trailheads. The adaptive trail is flatter and wider than most mountain bike trails and will be used by both cyclists and walkers. A new trailhead near the Lake Ann Dam was proposed to solve the problem of trail users parking along the side of the road.
The board also approved a project for $47,500 to add two more pickleball courts at Branchwood, where four new pickleball courts opened earlier this year. The courts have been very popular with many new players needing space. A member offered to donate funds to add a shade structure and benches to the area.
A golf course project that was previously approved to repair some flood damage on the Country Club course changed in scope when the engineers discovered even more damage. The change was approved for a total cost of $210,000.
Early in the meeting, vice-chair Jerre Barron read a report on an executive session held on June 10. Executive sessions are closed to the public and minutes are confidential, but governing documents require that topics discussed and votes taken during an executive session be reported at the next regular board meeting.
In June, the board considered an allegation of misconduct that had been filed against Chairman David Brandenburg. It involved Policies 1.01, 1.06.6, 1.07, 1.10, 1.10.8, and 2.06, as well as Bylaws Article III, Section 4 and 5(c) and Article IV, Section 2(e). The policies cover member access to information, board meetings, board of directors ethics and member conduct. The bylaws cited cover governing powers The motion failed by a vote of six to two, with Fosdick and board member Jan Simms voting in favor of the allegations. No other details were provided.