Alamogordo commission votes to seek management proposals for Desert Lakes Golf Course

Alamogordo — The Alamogordo City Commission voted 6-0 on June 10 to authorize staff to issue a request for proposals for a management agreement for Desert Lakes Golf Course, while preserving a limited contract extension to allow an orderly transition.

City staff presented three options for the municipal course: bring operations fully in house, issue an RFP for an outside management company, or pursue sale or reversion tied to deed restrictions. “My job is to present a set of facts and to gather data and present options,” presenter Belinda Bass told the commission, summarizing financial data and capital needs including irrigation replacement and pond relining tied to regulatory permits.

The discussion followed public comments from golfers and the current operator. Grant Dows, who identified himself as the current contractor for the course under GNL Golf Inc., urged the commission to seek a private management firm, saying the private sector can operate with lower labor costs and greater flexibility: “The private sector can employ roughly for 20% less than the public…