More maintenance on tap
Golfers rejoice!
The Fox Run Golf Course reopened on April 3.
However, only the back nine holes are open to the public. In an interview with the Sun, the city’s Director of Golf Matthew Alcala explained why he could only open half of the course right now.
“The front nine needs a lot more work than the back nine, and you can kind of see a lot of the work that we have done on the back half has been reestablished,” he said.
The areas that still need some “love and care” according to Alcala include the tee box, the green surrounds, and two greens. These areas need to be reseeded, along with the driving range t-box.
Alcala said he and his team are trying to get golfers off the mats and back on to the green again, but a lack of water in 2023 prevented that goal.
“The big thing is when you lose water one of the first things you tend to let go to conserve water is your driving range area,” he said. “That’s why that area looks so bad because we’re always having to conserve water to try and keep other spots alive on the golf course. ... When you don’t have potable water for two weeks and you also don’t have effluent running, you just really got to pick and choose what you keep alive and save,” he said.
PUMP PROBLEMS
PERSIST
Gallup’s water department is currently working on a new effluent line. Gallup’s Water and Sanitation Director Clark Tallis was unavailable for comment on the project.
At the beginning of the year, the Water Department took over the effluent line project from the golf course. Before that, Alcala came in front of the Gallup city council during their Dec. 12 meeting to explain the current problems the golf course was having before the season started.
Alcala told the council that the effluent line project was taking longer than expected, partly because the original plan of having two contractors work on opposite ends of the effluent line and then come together in the middle fell through. One of the contractors, which Alcala would not name, backed out of the project. So, a project that was initially only thought to take two or two-and-a-half months has now taken longer than six months.
At the Dec. 12 meeting Alcala said about 1,000 feet of the effluent pipe still needed to be built.
Another problem occurred when the temporary pipe that pumps water from the treatment plant to the golf course broke down in May. A rental pipe was put int for two and a half weeks, but that cost the city about $99,000.
“I don’t know why we keep having this issue with this,” Councilor Sarah Piano, Dist. 3, said at the meeting. “I feel like we’re having continual issues with the pump breaking down. ...”
Alcala came in front of the council at that meeting to ask for $332,000 to cover the pump and effluent line rental cost. Despite any misgivings, the council approved the request with an unanimous vote.
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor