Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
This is the fourth hole's fairway at Four Winds Golf Course on Tuesday before predicted 100 degree weather hits. The dry conditions are a result of the water well going down and gravel and rocks being drawn into the irrigation system. It has left the course, which has been known for its fine groundskeeping, burned out in some areas and soggy in others where sprinklers are leaking. The Kimball City/County Park and Recreation Operating Board on Monday scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday this week to hear an update on the purchase and installation of new sprinklers and other matters at Four Winds.
The Kimball City/County Park and Recreation Executive Board met on July 1 with one item to discuss – 200 new sprinklers for the Four Winds Golf Course.
Chairman of the Park and Recreation Operating Board Henry Heeg and course Superintendent Jeremy Williams explained the problem.
The current sprinklers are 25 years old and at the end of their life and still working, but parts are difficult or impossible to find for them.
Last summer when the big water well went down, gravel and rocks were pumped into the irrigation system. To clean out the old sprinklers requires a couple of hours of digging and cleaning, then replacing them, only to have them plug up again in just an hour or two.
The desired new Toro sprinklers have a screen on the bottom catching rocks and gravel before they enter into the sprinkler, so the clean-out is quick and easy. With over 1,000 sprinklers on the entire golf course, the 200 new ones would cover the fairways and greens, saving those areas from being burned up in the 100 degrees heat forecast in the next few days.
The cost of the new sprinklers is $63,335.58 and labor for installation is estimated to be $27,896.11. The operating board has a little over $11,000 in their budget, so the price of the sprinklers and installation is closer to $80,000. Suggestions for financing the project included adding the needed $80,000 onto the current loan for the new water well and getting the problem fixed.
At the meeting, officials said that before approving the project they must amend the park and rec budget.
The plans was to amend the budget at the July 16 City Council meeting, but City Clerk Paula Tarango told the Observer on Tuesday that "after further research, the city does not have to amend the budget at this time."
