WP Council Approves Close to $4 Million in Various Land Purchases
Trevor Phipps
Woodland Park residents and area recreation-goers could soon learn if one of the prime assets of the community since the mid-1995s, Shining Mountain, will become a municipal golf course, falling under ownership of the city of Woodland Park.
After more than a year of talks, city officials recently laid out plans for Woodland Park to become the new owners of the Shining Mountain (SM) Golf Course located on the north side of town off Hwy. 67. The idea of a city-run course at this location has actually been tossed around for several decades (see related story), with rumors abounding about various deals, not to mention big real estate and recreation scenarios, for years.
However, a number of questions still remain for the recently proposed city purchase deal to overcome any lurking hazards, similar to the difficult rough that local linksters often confront at the championship-level SM layout.
But several upcoming meetings could determine whether area golfers can reap the benefits of teeing off at a municipal golf course, a scenario that isn’t unusual throughout Colorado due to water and infrastructure challenges for golf course developers. Proponents of the plan say this will become a win-win for Shining Mountain, the city and local golfers and recreation buffs. Critics, however, cite whether city officials are showing favoritism for certain projects.
The land purchase still requires several steps including an appraisal, ordinance and public hearing. But in a recent meeting, the Woodland Park City Council recently voted to set the gears in motion to purchase the land estimated at nearly $7 million.
In fact, this meeting was filled with plans for big dollar purchases.
The council opted to spend money to purchase land and fix city streets in a major way. Even though the meeting’s agenda was slim, the consent calendar portion of the meeting included two major land purchases for the city.
In the end, council voted unanimously to start the process of purchasing the golf course property and land to expand Bert Bergstrom Park located next to the Tava House development in downtown Woodland Park.
During the meeting, questions were asked by the council regarding these acquisitions. But both land purchases were met with open arms. In fact, the council seemed especially excited with the idea of the city owning and operating a golf course in the near future.
The council was asked to give the city permission to move forward on the contract that entails the city paying $3.2 million for the course and the remainder (estimated at around $3.6 million) to be given to the city as a contributable donation by the property’s seller. “This is an exciting day for the city,” Woodland Park City Manager Aaron Vassalotti said.
“The $6.8 million purchase price is contingent upon appraisal. The city agreed to pay $3.2 million in cash with the remainder being a charitable contribution from the seller, but it depends upon the appraisal.”
The property spans over approximately 355 acres and its main amenity is its 18-hole golf course. The property also comes with a 10,600 square foot event center and clubhouse as well as three disc golf courses. “The land also contains 135 undeveloped acres, which is pretty spectacular,” Vassalotti said. “There are a lot of opportunities to program and use that into the future. Rob (Felts, the Assistant City Manager) wants to paraglide out there, but we see that the opportunities are endless.”
The city has already paid $25,000 in earnest money that was due in early August and they will now be taking the next steps which include surveys and an appraisal. The city plans to pay the remainder ($3.175 million) at the closing date on October 17. But the land purchase will have to be approved by the city council by passing an ordinance.
Vassalotti said that the city has seen the profit and loss statements and he believes that the city can keep running it “status quo,” or the way it has been running for at least two years before the city looks to put money into the budget for upgrades.
“Status quo, plus watering the greens?” Councilman George Jones jokingly asked. Vassalotti said that they will be looking at several options when they develop a master plan for the property over the next few years. Jones was referring to the condition of the course this year, as the links development encountered problems last winter, a situation that adversely affected the greens. In past years, though, the greens have been rated as some of the best in the area for a high-altitude course.
Councilman Seth Bryant asked Utilities Director Kip Wiley if potable water was being used at the golf course and if there was a way the city could repurpose “grey water” coming from the sewage plant located next door to the golf course. Wiley said that the golf course currently uses non-potable water from the creek and that the city has already spent nearly a half a million dollars on the waste water plant to reuse water for the golf course.
“Kip (Wiley) and I have spoken about that at length as to what benefits that could bring if we could switch and what that looks like,” Vassalotti said.
Ever since news of a city-owned course surfaces, community reaction has been quite mixed on social media outlets. Many residents and even a few notable civic leaders agree that this is a great deal for the city, and will give the development a chance to progress to the next level. But at the same time, a number of residents question the use of taxpayer dollars for purchasing a golf course development that has achieved limited success fiscally.
As a result, the next few meetings of the Woodland Park City Council could get quite lively. This Thursday, the golf course deal could face an initial tee-off time, as an ordinance could get approved through the initial posting process, which then sets the stage for a public hearing.
Woodland Park to Purchase Property to Expand City Park
Over the last several months, the city of Woodland Park has been looking at various options to re-imagine Bert Bergstrom Park, which is located on the south side of Hwy. 24 in Downtown Woodland Park. The city has held two open house events in order to seek input from the community.
According to the Woodland city manager, a consulting firm hired to take a look at future options for the aging park recommended purchasing two lots that sit directly to the west of the park property. Vassalotti showed council a rendering, which includes an upgraded park, downtown parking (including RV parking) and a new street connecting Park Street to West Street.
“My vision and the way I have been looking at it is, I want to bring a little bit of Memorial Park to the other side of the city and into the downtown,” Vassalotti said. “And I think this accomplishes what we have set out to do.”
The two parcels of land will cost the city $695,000 with $7,000 in earnest money getting paid this week. Closing on the property is slated to take place on October 20, but council will have to approve an ordinance via a public hearing before the purchase can be made.
