Committees hear about projects, problems

The three joint advisory committees on golf, lakes and recreation all met last week. Each of the committees is charged with being a liaison between the members and the board.

The Golf Committee met on March 9. Golf operations director Darryl Muldoon said that covid restrictions remain in place at all the courses and won't be relaxed until the state moves out of Phase Two. Restrictions include limiting one member per golf cart. However, individuals who ask to share a cart will be allowed. Some golfers who have been vaccinated have asked to share carts, he said.

General manager Tom Judson said he has received emails from members who believe restrictions should be lifted and others who believe restrictions should be tighter. He said they will follow state guidelines as closely as possible.

Muldoon said he has been in touch with organizers of the APT golf tournament and it will go on as planned in June. The women's tournament, which was new last year, will also return. Once again, the Pro-Am tournament will be made up of five-somes, including both a male and female pro and three amateurs.

The first POA tournament of the year, the Sweetheart Tournament, was postponed due to snow in February, but took place last week, he said.

All courses were closed for at least 18 days in February, so rounds were down for the month, Muldoon said.

Golf maintenance manager Keith Ihms said there's been little winter kill this year in spite of the extreme temperatures. Snow provided insulation in some areas. Damage may appear as the grass begins to green.

A broken pipe at Dogwood on the 13th green caused damage. New sod is already going in, he said.

Bermuda greens on Scotsdale and Brittany will need to be covered at times through the spring to protect the grass as it transitions from dormancy.

The Country Club will be impacted when work is done on State Highway 340, but there are no dates for the project yet. Ihms said he is prepared to reroute some course traffic when necessary.

The Recreation Committee met on March 8. The Committee heard about the renovated mini-golf course located near Riordan Hall. It should open in May, recreation director Joan Glubczynski told the committee. A grand opening will be planned closer to the date. The other course in Metfield Park has been removed.

The Lakes Committee heard about progress on a sinkhole that appeared near Lake Ann when they met on March 10. Lakes and Fisheries superintendent Rick Echols told the committee that an engineering firm helped develop a plan to fill the sinkhole. It was filled once before, he said, but, evidently, the fill consisted of riprap, which is made up of small stones. This time, the fill will be more permanent.

Echols also told the committee that Lake Rayburn is still low and probably won't begin to fill until April 1. A dredging project will be complete by then.