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Show New golf course to cost $3 million By PAUL CHALLIS News Editor WEST BOUNTIFUL Plans to add nine holes to the municipal golf course with a price tag of $1.5 million for construction were announced an-nounced Tuesday by the City Council. West Bountiful will bond for $3 million to pay for the new 18-hole course that is scheduled to be completed com-pleted by July 1993. "We have spent six months treating very carefully the golf course expansion idea and have studied every angle and detail of the .project," Mayor Carl Johnson said. "We are not making the decision lightly. We decided to go for it after the feasibility study suggests the needed support is there. We have also negotiated the purchase of land to proceed with the expansion." Johnson added that the study (a 40-page report) found that the market could support two more 1 8-hole 8-hole courses in south Davis County. "We have secured almost all of the needed property for the expansion expan-sion through our Realtor (Lane Realty) and have earnest money on 98 percent of the land," Johnson said. "We are very excited to move forward with the golf course expansion." expan-sion." West Bountiful will not use general gen-eral obligation bonds to secure the loan for the new expansion. "It is true that the initial nine holes were financed by general i obligation bonds and the residents voted to go that way. The new expansion ex-pansion will not be handled in that manner," Councilman Paul Toller said. "If the project fails. West Bountiful residents will not be responsible for the debt. The revenues generated by the use of the golf will pay back the bonds. ' ' The city is using Kemper, Boett-cher Boett-cher Co. of Salt Lake City through bond counsel of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll to secure revenue bonds over a 20-year period for $3 million. The bonds will be marketed through the Municipal Finance Cooperative. West Bountiful has been trying to acquire 60 acres of land from private property owners for the last six months. The course will be M expanded from the south and southwest of the original nine holes. Johnson said three construction companies had submitted proposals and the council has narrowed it down to two options and will decide on a construction company by the end of June. "After studying the issue for six months we believe the expansion of the golf course will be a great benefit to the community," Councilman Coun-cilman Richard Judd said. "A citizens committee took part in the master plan study and decided the expansion was the single most desirable undertaking for the city. The profits from the new course SKG GOLF ON A-2 Golf CONTINUED FROM A-1 should be beyond our expectations." expecta-tions." Judd added that once the new expansion ex-pansion is paid for "it will be the most important source of income for the city." Councilman Bruce Talbot said, "Recreation needs also point to the expansion of the course. More than one committee pushed for the city to pursue the additional nine holes." "The council sees the new golf course expansion as a very good economic benefit and it will have a beneficial impact on the neighborhood," Johnson said. "We are inviting public input and awareness and will talk to anyone in the city about the project. We cannot think of any better way to enhance the economic future of the city." The council will vote on the financing fi-nancing on July 2 and is very optimistic op-timistic about the possibility of the project becoming a reality. "About 56 citizens have been involved in-volved in the master plan and in studying the possibility of expanding the course," Toller said. "We could see the potential for a second nine holes and we went for it," Councilman Wendell Wild added. The council boasted about the current course, saying it is a favorite of many as it caters to beginners, intermediate and expert golfers. "By upgrading it (the course) play will increase and it will serve as a broad base for golfers in south Davis County," Talbot said. "Once it is paid for it will net four times as much. The expansion just makes a lot of sense. ' ' This spring the heavy rains and water has hampered the play on the course but officials claim the new expansion will help ease the springtime trouble by spreading out the water that flows onto the course from the communities east of West Bountiful. "We will be solving the water problem with the expansion of the course," Johnson said. The council also discussed the hiring of a project administrator to work as a neutral party to report to the city officials on the progress of the expansion. "It needs to be someone with construction and engineering knowledge to oversee the project," Councilman Craig Hammond said. "We need to find someone that can be neutral and offer the city a new chemistry for the team." Johnson said a committee of three councilmen and the mayor would work on choosing a project Administrator by the June 1 8 meeting. "We need to get going with the design plans and construction phase of the project," Johnson said. The mayor credited several people's work for getting West Bountiful into position to build the extra nine holes at the course including in-cluding the golf committee, headed by Grant Iverson, architect Bill Neff, the golf pro Mike Decker, Lane Beattie, real estate agent and the rest of the city officials. |