MEEKER I Meeker’s nine-hole golf course is in need of new management according to Tim Nelson, speaking on behalf of the Rio Blanco Golf Association (RBGA) at the April 22 meeting of the Meeker Board of Trustees.
The RBGA is “opening a conversation” with the Town of Meeker, and plans to include the Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan Park and Recreation District in the discussion, about the possibility of purchasing and/or managing the golf course.
The Meeker Golf Course has been in existence since the 1960s and attracts out-of-town visitors to the area. Nelson said somewhere around 70% of public play is by out-of-town guests to the course.
“Jim Cook built the course into a very popular course on the Western Slope,” Nelson told the board. “We’ve been rotating through management since.”
The RBGA hopes to keep the course “usable and affordable.” There are concerns that a sale of the course to private investor or group would jeopardize those attributes.
Mayor Kent Borchard and trustees echoed their appreciation for the community amenity, and agreed they don’t want it to go away. The board agreed to discuss the issue at a later date.
Also at the April 19 meeting:
• Mayor Borchard and trustees Scott Nielsen, Tiffany Jehorek and Chris Lockwood were sworn in to new terms. There was no contested election for those offices this spring.
• Approved, on staff’s recommendation, a liquor license application for Trailhead Cabins and Lodging.
• Approved the appointment of Greg Hanberg and Jim Kendall to the Meeker Planning Commission to fill two vacant seats. Hanberg has been in Meeker for 11 years, works as the radiology director at Pioneers Medical Center, and operated an in-home business with his wife Megan. Hanberg said “being part of the commission is part of giving back to the community from the things we’ve received.” Kendall is a 1992 Meeker High School alum with a background in construction. He returned to Meeker four years ago with hopes to “get more involved this time around.” Town staff was instructed to prepare a resolution for the appointment.
• Awarded the Garfield Street water line replacement bid to TDA Construction for $447K and approved a $32K contract with Rocky Mountain Asphalt for the annual crack seal project, with work expected to start April 25 and be finished — conditions permitting — in five days.
• Approved partial abandonment of a subdivision and security agreement for Escondido Subdivision, owned by Regas Halandras. Halandras said the subdivision plan, finalized in 2011, would change the area and costs have increased. Instead of seven lots on 21 acres, they intend to return with a plan for two lots. “It would keep it more open and secluded,” Halandras said, noting that Escondido means “hidden.”
The board also discussed its lease with the Chamber of Commerce for the second floor at Town Hall.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
