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Commissioners review Champion Lakes Golf Course fee adjustments and maintenance costs
Summary
Managerial presentation at the McAllen workshop explained fee updates at Champion Lakes Golf Course intended to sustain operations for at least five years, described agronomic challenges and a $50,000 acid-injection treatment chosen after higher-cost options, and noted nearly 67,000 rounds played in the past two years.
An unnamed manager of Champion Lakes Golf Course presented fee updates and maintenance challenges to the City Commission during the workshop.
The presenter said the course has operated with three main objectives: be a leading regional facility in the Rio Grande Valley, cover operating expenses from generated revenues, and maintain equipment and depreciation funds. He said recent events and partnerships helped generate record-setting play, with nearly 67,000 rounds over the last two years.
To maintain sustainability, staff proposed updates to green and cart fees that the manager said would allow the course to operate for at least five years without additional subsidy. The manager said some fees had been increased once since 2011 and that the overall change equates to roughly a 10% increase across many fees; certain fees saw a $2 increase.
On maintenance, the manager said agronomic issues including salt accumulation and aging irrigation systems prompted a mitigation program. "We started doing acid injections into our irrigation system to treat the water and avoid some of those challenges," he said, and listed three costed options: one that originally started at about $1,000,000; another that would have required much more manpower at roughly $160,000; and a chosen approach estimated at about $50,000.
Commissioners asked about driving-range fees and duration of the fee schedule; staff said range fees had been updated three years ago and that the new schedule should be sustainable for about five years. A commissioner referred to the manager by name as "Carlos." No vote or formal action was taken; staff will return earlier if additional adjustments become necessary.
