The Golf Course Irrigation Project is in the final stages of approval and will be on the February 9 board meeting agenda.
Since 2017, the Green Committee has put in a significant amount of work to identify and record the failures in the golf course irrigation system. They are recommending a new high-efficiency system to replace the old and outdated equipment.
The current golf course irrigation system was installed in 1996, and many of the components are beyond their life expectancy. The weather station has been out of service for about a year. The irrigation controllers are deteriorating regularly and parts are scarce, the POA said.
Additionally, the irrigation heads fail frequently and a lot of maintenance labor is spent on patching the system. Two of the irrigation pumps are outdated and in need of replacement and the underground lateral lines are failing regularly. Tests showed that the main irrigation pump was operating at 50 percent.
Research was done into both RainBird and Toro for the latest technology that could improve irrigation coverage and efficiency for both water and energy savings. It was determined the new design and the RainBird IC system would provide 14.6 percent water savings and significant energy savings with the two new pump stations. It is projected to yield a $90,000 annual savings at today’s water prices, the POA said.
The project was presented to the board on July 7, 2020, and design fees were approved the following month. The RFP went out in December. Bids were received on January 15. All four bidders were recommended and prequalified by the architect so that once the bids are compared the selection would be simple.
If approved, the work should begin on March 1. The project could be completed in four months, or over two years, depending on how aggressive the board wants to be with the schedule. A short project will cost less but would impact play for a good portion of the 2021 season. A longer-term project will cost significantly more but the impact on play will be for shorter periods over a longer two-year period.
The project will be funded from the Repair and Replacement Fund and will not affect the member dues, according to the POA.
The contractor will work on one hole at a time for about a week before moving on to the next hole. This will provide for minimum interruption to play with 17 holes open for most of the construction time.
The months of March through June were selected for the project because of their typically mild temperatures that will allow for portions of the irrigation system to be shut down for a few days at a time without severe damage to the turf. The following warmer months will help promote the Bermuda turf recovery from the construction work more rapidly. This period is also the peak season for golf tournaments on the course. The POA said it will make every effort to work with tournament organizers for a successful event regardless of the length of the project.
To provide feedback to the board, email [email protected] or attend the next board meeting on February 9 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. To join the meeting, visit vm.clpoa.net.
