Beaver City Council discusses driving-range safety, equipment upgrades and course finances; approves two closed sessions

At a Beaver City Council meeting, members and staff spent significant time discussing safety, layout and revenue at the municipal golf course, focusing on the driving range and possible investments such as a ball-dispensing machine, nets and changes to tee-box locations. The council then voted to enter closed session on two agenda items: the purchase or sale of real estate and personnel matters.

The discussion centered on two related problems: stray range balls striking other parts of the course and nearby facilities, and the golf course operating deficit. One long-time speaker said the problem was more than occasional: “Part of growing up is a kid can't do whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want,” and argued that teams using the course during their season should follow rules if they use it at no charge (Speaker 1). Several participants raised safety for spectators and for adjacent uses, including concerns that balls travel toward the racetrack area and stands.

City staff and council members discussed both short-term and longer-term fixes. Proposed near-term measures included installing taller nets, relocating tee boxes, running nets along the back of holes 7–9 and adding posts for netting. One attendee outlined a concept to move a tee box and run nets along the perimeter so range balls would be contained and easier to retrieve (Speaker 2). Participants discussed tradeoffs: nets could obstruct views for race-day spectators, and moving tee boxes or fairways would require grading and additional work.

Council members and staff also discussed installing a ball-dispensing machine and a ball-washing system to ensure every ball is paid for and kept clean. Supporters said a pay-to-play dispenser could reduce free-for-all ball removal and increase revenue. “If you make it easy access, people will use it,” a speaker said while urging purchase of a robust machine that accepts cards rather than tokens (Speaker 3). Cost was repeatedly cited as a constraint: “They're just expensive,” another participant said (Speaker 3).

Staff reviewed recent revenue trends and operational changes. Speakers noted the golf operation moved from a concessionaire arrangement to city management around 2015–16 and that a new point-of-sale system was adopted around 2021, after which tracking and revenue reporting improved. A presenter praised the staff for “future planning” and credited fee changes and the new tracking system with raising revenue, while noting expenses still exceed revenues and transfers from the general fund have been used (Speaker 1).

Maintenance and equipment needs were part of the conversation. Staff reported an aging panel in the pump house that controls sprinklers and SCADA; a representative said the controls are obsolete and will need replacement, describing the replacement panels as costly in the meeting transcript (Speaker 4). Those controls were described as a likely capital expense for an upcoming fiscal year.

Participants suggested staging improvements: buy a ball-dispensing machine first, then add nets and later regrade or move tee boxes across one or two off-seasons. One speaker advised a value-based approach: “Value based, not expense based,” arguing the course should be managed more like a business and, when justified, the city should invest to generate future returns (Speaker 1).

Votes at a glance - Motion to enter closed session for the purchase or sale of real estate — Moved by council member Skeena; second by council member Cox. Roll-call recorded: Allison Webb, yes; Tyler Skeena, yes; Lance Cox, yes; Owen Spencer, yes. Outcome: approved. - Motion to enter closed session for personnel matters — Moved by council member Webb; second by council member Spencer. Roll-call recorded: Allison Webb, yes; Tyler Skeena, yes; Lance Cox, yes; Owen Spencer, yes. Outcome: approved.

The meeting concluded after the votes to enter closed session. Staff and council members asked staff to prepare cost estimates and implementation plans for a ball-dispensing machine, netting options and any grading or layout work; timing and budgets were described as subject to the fiscal-year planning process.