By SCOTT WINEGAR
Los Alamos
Our County’s largest recreational facility and central open space area needs long overdue deferred maintenance and upgrades to its infrastructure.
Built in 1947, the Los Alamos Golf Course, is the County’s largest and most used recreation facility. As one of the oldest courses in northern NM, it continues to be a county treasure where friends and family can enjoy the social and medical benefits of outdoor exercise. The appeal of the course is increasing as daily rounds are expected to reach 30,000 this year, doubling the 15,000 reached in 2016. In fact, if you include the visitors to the clubhouse, restaurant, practice range and golf course, the number is expected to reach 115,000 visits this year; it is astounding to touch that many lives in a county of only 19,000 residents. Now, after 75 years, the Parks and Rec Board (P&RB) and Council will consider how best to address the aging infrastructure on the course and resolve the range safety concerns.
Council appropriated CIP funds in 2017 to complete as many deferred maintenance items as possible and address the driving range safety concern. The first and largest item was replacing the 40-year-old irrigation system, which was completed in 2020. The remaining $1.9M CIP funds are being used to renovate and improve the course’s aging infrastructure – tee boxes, sand traps, greens, cart paths, and areas in disrepair. This investment is a much-needed face-lift after 75 years of near-daily use where both the years and the mileage have simply worn the edges off of the infrastructure.
A concern that has yet to be resolved is how to modify the driving range so patrons using the course are safe from range balls. Council directed staff to hire a golf course architect to examine how to extend the driving range and adjust the course to accommodate the longer range. Four options were presented to the P&RB at the July meeting. The P&RB approved a motion advising Council they recommend Option A of the four options presented by the architect.
Reasons for selecting Option A included:
- the least costly option by nearly $700,000;
- least impact to the newly installed irrigation system;
- impacts the fewest holes on the course;
- likely to be the easiest, fastest, cheapest and simplest approach;
- does not require reshaping and tearing up the existing course;
- requires only 2 new greens as opposed to 4 or 5 for other options; and
- ensures the tract of land to be used by one of the holes will not be used for residential homes thus ensuring it will always be available for hikers, bikers, golfers and wildlife.
The concern raised by other interest groups regarding the selection of Option A focused on one of the realigned holes located on what is now a tract of land zoned for residential housing. This tract of land is crossed by the Walnut Canyon Rim Trail and is forested. The concern includes how the trail will be impacted and the number of trees that would be removed from the tract of land to accommodate the hole.
The architect estimated the new hole would require about 5 acres of the 30-acre tract of land (~16 percent), 135 trees would be removed and approximately 300 yds of trail would need to be moved about 20 yds.
The Option A plan would ensure:
- all trees removed would be replaced elsewhere at a 1:1 ratio;
- the impacted section of trail would be relocated and enhanced; and
- the tract of land would be rezoned from Residential (PD-5) to Public Land (P-L) ensuring golfers, hikers, bikers and wildlife can always use this tract of land.
The P&RB made a good choice by advising Council to move forward with Option A for expanding the driving range. Not only is it the least costly option presented, but it is also the easiest and fastest to implement since it has the smallest scope of work, and strikes a good balance between golf, trail and open space interests by ensuring the land will be available for all to use in the future.
It seems adjusting 300 yds of trail and relocating 135 trees is an acceptable cost that will allow hikers, bikers, golfers and wildlife to forever share and enjoy what will be Public Land. The trees will be relocated, and the trail will still be there, enhanced and with and amazing new view. Golfers will enjoy the extended range and the realigned holes. Citizens will save $700,000 dollars over the other options
Option A strikes a good balance between scope of work, cost, safety improvements, golf course realignment and county resident interests. All our county assets make Los Alamos a special place to live. Whether it is biking, hiking, swimming, skating, skiing, tennis, baseball, soccer, rodeo, open spaces, archery, etc., it’s what makes Los Alamos a great place to live, work and raise a family. We can share a 30-acre tract of land for the benefit of all.
The P&RB is a volunteer board, and they made a well-informed decision that balances the county’s varied interests among outdoor enthusiasts. They were presented with four options and selected the option with the best value and balance of common interest. County Council and Los Alamos citizens are lucky to have interested volunteers who give of their time and take an interest in our common county resources.
