By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailiypost.com

After years of effort to improve the Los Alamos County Golf Course, the work paid off; Los Alamos County Council approved Oct. 10 two bids that focus on bettering the maintenance and safety at the golf course.

Council unanimously approved a bid that totals approximately $5.5 million and a budget revision of about $1.6 million. Deputy Public Works Manager Eric Martinez explained this bid will improve holes one through 18. This includes improvements to tees, bunkers and greens as well as two new restrooms.

Additionally, Martinez said holes seven and eight will be reversed and work will be done to the practice area, driving range and cart paths.

Council also approved, 6-1 with Councilor Randall Ryti opposed, a bid that totals approximately $1.8 million and a budget revision of about $2.3 million to install a new safety net at the driving range.

Martinez said the net will reach 135-165 fee at its highest point. He added that the topography and practice area improvements will be considered. This is a significant difference from the current net, which reaches 37-45 feet.

Approval of the first bid was greeted with applause from members of the public who attended the meeting to show support for it.

As golfer and local resident Don Branch said, this ends a 15-year long effort.

“…We endured too much to let this opportunity slip away,” he said. “The long journey has included 15 years of starts and stops, over $1 million in architect fees, numerous layouts and options, CIP committee … reviews, two attempts of finding bidders, endless council meetings and years of inflation that continue to increase the cost. This council has a chance to address all these (things) that have been ignored for so long …”

Council also showed unanimous support for the project.

Councilor David Reagor, who made the motion to approve the bid, said this is his favorite type of project.

“I just wanted to say that this has been in the process for many years so almost all the budget here has already been allocated and this is just a small revision to help pay for it but also how great this plan is compared to many other options talked about … instead we’re doing the great thing that I love to see in the County, which is when you take all the revisions and you put the value into the existing site and just make the thing you have much better … we’re just making this place much better …,” he said.

The second bid was a mixed bag.

It was reported during the presentation that the proposal for this safety net was not previously vetted by the public.

While some residents at the meeting, such as Phil Gursky, urged approving the net to avoid any liability or safety hazards, others said they felt approval should be tabled until the project was reviewed by the public.

Councilor Melanee Hand, who made the motion to approve the bid, said she felt it was necessary to ensure safety.

“In my opinion safety is first,” she said. “We have that as an important part of our community already … to consider safety first. I know that visual impacts are also important, but I don’t think that we need to ignore something we have been discussing for a while … I think the community is aware of this discussion and I don’t think delaying this is a smart option for us right now.”

Ryti, who voted against the bid, disagreed, arguing the public should weigh in on the project. He noted in past discussions regarding a safety net it was never proposed to be this tall.

“I wish we could take a little bit more time to actually get better information to the community … there are still going to be administrative controls required because there’s going to be a gap in time when the netting is going to be up … I would rather us vet this proposal a little bit …,” he said.

In other business, council:

• Voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Los Alamos County and Rio Arriba County to partner on economic development. Los Alamos County Economic Development Director Daniel Ungerleider said no specific projects are identified in the MOU; he explained discussions are still in the early stages.
• Voted unanimously to approve phase I and phase II of the Urban Trail. Phase I, which totals about $2.7 million, will include the construction of a 10-foot wide concrete multi use trail that will extend less than a half mile between the intersection of Trinity Drive and 20th Street, through the Fuller Lodge grounds to the intersection of Ponderosa and Spruce Street. Phase II, which totals about $4.1 million, will construct a 10-foot-wide concrete multi-use trail that will also be less than a half mile from the intersection of Ponderosa and Spruce Street through the wooded area by the tennis courts, along Canyon Road to the rear entrance of the Aquatic Center.