Bullhead City to acquire Chaparral Golf Course; council approves liquor-license application

The Bullhead City Council on Sept. 16 voted 7-0 to approve a resolution authorizing acquisition of Chaparral Golf Course from CCC Inc., assuming roughly $406,000 in outstanding liabilities and taking immediate responsibility for maintenance of the 9-hole course and its clubhouse.

The purchase agreement and a companion asset-purchase contract presented to council lay out a plan in which the city would begin grounds maintenance immediately if the council approved, take over operations Nov. 1 and complete environmental and closeout steps “as early as December,” City Manager Toby Cotter said during the meeting.

The matter drew extended discussion at the council meeting because the parcel sits adjacent to Rotary Park and contains infrastructure — including a lift station and flood-control ponds — that city staff said are functionally linked to municipal systems. City staff and CCC Inc. negotiators told council that failing maintenance or a bankruptcy by CCC Inc. could leave the neighborhood with a nonoperational facility and potential public-safety or nuisance issues.

Why it matters: City staff framed the purchase as both an infrastructure and community-preservation decision. Cotter said the back five holes already carry city easements used for flood flows and that the site can accept reclaimed water in the future, reducing potable-water demand if the city continues to operate it. The city also said operating the site as a municipal asset would preserve open space and neighborhood amenities rather than letting the property fall into disrepair.

“The city would assume the maintenance of this golf course starting tomorrow if the council approves this,” Cotter told the council during the presentation. CCC Inc. officers and long-time members who spoke at the hearing described the course as a neighborhood anchor and urged the council to preserve it. Kevin Nestrick, treasurer of CCC Inc., said the course has served retirees and local players since it opened and that membership and community use have deep local roots.

Financial and operational details: The agreement before council transfers the course, clubhouse, pro shop, restaurant and related equipment to the city. Staff estimated total outstanding liabilities at about $406,000, including nearly $300,000 in overdue taxes and related obligations. During the meeting staff described the property’s replacement-value or market-equivalent at roughly $4 million as a conservative estimate, though no formal appraisal was presented at the hearing.

City Attorney Garn Emory told the council that the asset-purchase agreement includes a binding commitment: the city would operate the property as a golf course for at least 10 years. Emory summarized the negotiated provision as obligating the city to maintain golf operations for a decade, and allowing conversion to other parks-and-public-purpose uses only thereafter if golf proved financially impractical.

CCC Inc. officers said the corporation had voted to authorize the board to negotiate and execute a sale or transfer consistent with member direction. Kevin Nestrick described members’ preference to keep the parcel as a community recreational site rather than allow deterioration: “Chaparral is a retirement community… we want to preserve as long as we can those amenities,” he said.

Liquor license application: On a separate but related agenda item the council voted 7-0 to authorize city staff to submit an application for a Series 5 liquor license for the Chaparral clubhouse and to execute required documents. Cotter and staff said the action is a procedural step: the city will post the standard 20-day notice required by the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control, and return to the council at a later meeting for the statutorily required public hearing and final council recommendation.

Next steps and caveats: Council and staff said the city will operate Chaparral as an enterprise fund and intends to recruit more players, events and bookings to improve revenues; staff also said hiring or retaining current employees at the facility will be considered where appropriate. The city reserved options to later lease or change management of operations after it stabilizes the facility. Staff repeatedly noted that some deferred maintenance must be addressed before private concessions would be feasible.

Ending: The council-approved acquisition and the liquor-license application mark the start of a multi-month transition. City staff said they will return to council with operational updates, and that future decisions about leases, capital repairs and programming will be subject to public process and budget review.