I find this stuff fascinating...goats and carp! Wow!
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Northwest Edition
Benton County Daily Record
Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, December 11, 2008
ANDRA ATTEBERRY Staff Writer andraa@nwanews.com
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Brittany Golf Course has been saved from the chopping block
In a consensus, non-binding vote Monday, the Property Owners Association Board of Directors chose to keep the 9-hole course open.
The course had been considered for closure, or kept open through a partnership with The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas. In the latter, First Tee would have paid one half of the costs of operating the course, but would have converted the first hole to a short-iron driving range and the last one to a some type of practice area.
The consensus of the board Monday was to hold off considering the First Tee proposal until they had something in writing.
Instead, they found $112,000 of the $120,000 needed to run the course.
The savings came from using a 4-percent instead of 6-percent inflation rate, from buying three greens rollers instead of a planned six, from not installing disk golf and a canopy at Branchwood Golf Course, and from not replacing a jungle gym at Tiree Park.
They would have found all the money, but the member-accompanied-golf proposed fees were reduced from $28 to $26 for 18 holes. The revenue decrease left the board about $8,000 short.
As for Branchwood, two board members, Andy O'Neil and Anita Werts, wanted to keep the course open and operate it the way it is until a new use plan can be created.
The other board members want to transfer the course to the Recreation Joint Advisory Committee. Chairwoman Roberta Dale said some suggestions she received from members was to make it a family course, where children as young as two and three years old could play golf, make it a feeder to a larger course, open to drivers of small all-terrain-vehicles, make it a disk-golf course and find a way to add golf carts.
Director George DeGroot, board member and liaison to the recreation committee, said the RJAC members and the Branchwood neighbors will meet and develop plans for the course.
In other business, Dale summarized member feedback and suggestions from the five-hour public hearing on Dec. 1.
Property owners representing the Metfield Neighborhood and the Brittany Town House Association turned in a 12-page petition.
Neighbors from Scotsdale also had a petition for the board, but they did not present it since the directors were already leaning toward not closing the Scotsdale Golf Course.
An earlier plan was to close at least the back nine of that course.
One person suggested the board create an independent financial advisory committee. Dale suggested that was the role of the POA Board.
Many people suggested the board reduce staff, and especially the volunteer coordinator position.
People might not have realized the budget calls for 3.9 fewer staff members from last year, Director Bill Johnson said.
The volunteer coordinator position is just not understood by members, General Manager Tommy Bailey said. They don't understand part of the job description is marketing.
One revenue proposal was to require every property owner to buy a photo ID card. Others have suggested this idea, but it is the same as instituting an assessment increase without a vote and can't be done, Bailey said. The POA cannot charge for the privilege of using an amenity, he added.
Another way to find money was to close all the club houses and restaurants. One problem with this proposal is expenses such as property taxes and insurance continue, DeGroot said.
Other members wanted to know why the POA needed a weed harvester for the lakes. The harvester will take the place of grass carp, fish that eat the weeds and also other beneficial grasses.
Bailey compared using carp to eat the weeds to keep the lakes good for fishing and boating, to using goats to mow a golf course.
Members also couldn't understand why the POA stopped using volunteer play managers instead of player assistants to manage the time golfers take to play the course.
The play managers were never really volunteers, Bailey said. They got paid in punches they could use to play golf. The new player's assistants cost $130,000 about $18,000 more than the value the managers received for their golf.
The reason the players assistants program was started was to speed up play, which seems to have worked, because they don't get as many complaints, Bailey said.
Other members suggested Bella Vista was established for retirees and for golfers.
"That's really all we came for" was a statement Johnson heard over and over.
But statistics don't prove that. According to figures obtained from the POA's card-swiping system, 8,500 members played golf from Aug. 1, 2007, through July 31, 2008, far fewer than the 25,000 residents and 36,000 non-resident property owners, Johnson said.
Bella Vistans don't just golf, he said.
"We are a really diverse community," Johnson said.
A question the board will seek to answer during the upcoming year is what do property owners really want for their golf courses and amenities, Dale said.
The budget will be discussed and voted on during the regular board session 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at Riordan Hall. The format will be a little different, Dale said.
The budget will be presented first and then the board will listen to comments, but the board will not vote on the budget until after hearing from members.