BELLA VISTA — The Property Owners Association is still repairing damage caused by the Aug. 8 flood, and during their October meeting the board chose the least-expensive option on two major projects.
The back nine golf holes at Scotsdale have been closed since the flood because the cart path near the 13th hole was washed out, leaving a deep crevice. General manager Tommy Bailey on Thursday presented three options for a fix. The most expensive option, a bridge over the crevice, wouldn't prevent more damage the next time the water rose.
Last month the board heard about a plan to lower the fairway on the 13th hole and use the excess soil for fill around a new culvert. The cost was about $363,000.
The third option, adding a culvert and trucking in the fill, would cost $200,000.
Bailey recommended the least expensive option and the board agreed. The money will come from reserve.
The same reasoning was cited for a repair to a pump house on the Country Club golf course. Bailey presented four options ranging from rebuilding and reinforcing the pump house for $120,000 or moving it to adjacent to Lake Windsor dam for $625,000.
Long term, the dam location would be good, Bailey said, since the water is plentiful and clean. He also discussed two other locations near the creek. A move to the 14th tee would cost $540,000 and a move to the 5th tee would cost $440,000.
Calling the cost difference “dramatic,” Bailey recommended rebuilding the pump house with a stronger foundation. Again, the board agreed.
Meanwhile, the association is working on a settlement with the contractor who attempted to repair the foundation after the flood and caused the pump house to fall into the creek. Attorney Chastity Fittro said she hopes the contractor will settle without involving his insurance company.
No work can be done on the pump house until the issue is resolved, she said.
In other business, Bailey told the board about several options for a new location for membership services. In May the membership voted to sell the Town Center emergency services building, along with two other fire stations, to Bella Vista. Bailey said he thinks the agreement will include the stipulation the association’s membership services department move out of the Town Center building by December 2014.
His staff has been looking for a new location for three years, Bailey said. Although there are buildings on the market in the vicinity, Bailey said he didn’t want to buy another building when the association has empty spaces.
Among the options for the board to consider is adding to the tennis center at Kingsdale. That building was designed to be expanded, Bailey said.
It might be possible to add to Riordan Hall, but Bailey wouldn’t recommend it since the building is crowded and out dated.
Moving membership services into the Country Club where most of the association administration is officed probably wouldn’t work, he said. The entrance is difficult for older members to navigate and parking would be an issue.
Bailey also had some preliminary numbers for a plan discussed at a work session for satellite offices. Bailey said the cost of staffing those offices over a 10-year period would be significant. There would also be some initial costs for renovation and equipment. The board asked for a more detailed estimate.
Moving more membership services online would save money long term, Bailey said.