Lago Vista advisory committee hears timeline for irrigation work and course operations update

Lago Vista Golf Course Advisory Committee members on Tuesday heard staff outline a timeline for the course's long‑planned irrigation replacement, an operational plan to limit course closures during construction and early signs of improved revenue and rounds.

Greg (staff member, golf operations) said the irrigation contractor will hold a pre‑construction meeting on Feb. 11 and the installation will likely begin between late February and mid‑March. "We will probably start sometime before March 1 on the irrigation side," Greg said. He described a phased construction approach that will take each hole in turn so the most holes closed at once will be one or two, and said the project is expected to take about six months from start to finish with a target of substantially completed work around Labor Day.

The superintendent, George (superintendent), and Greg said they have met with the contractor and project managers and have obtained new radio frequencies needed for the system. Greg said the planned sequencing will allow the course to continue irrigating with portions of the existing system and temporary water tanks during construction and that staff and the contractor are coordinating methods to limit debris in old lines from contaminating new components.

Greg provided a business update: he told the committee rounds and revenue are "up approximately 53% in rounds and revenue year to date," citing October through January figures (including the first 26 days of January). He said the course recorded a 23% increase in rounds and revenue the prior year and that, given current trends and the irrigation project, he expects to approach break‑even in the next fiscal year and possibly produce a surplus thereafter if conditions remain stable.

City Council liaison Paul Prince warned members the committee's role is advisory and reviewed how advisory committees differ from decisionmaking boards under state law. Prince said the council has given advisory committees more leeway than boards with decision authority and that committee members may exchange information outside posted meetings but must use public meetings for topics that would lead to formal recommendations to council. "You have a little bit of a degree of freedom," Prince said, while advising prudence on when to post an agenda for on‑site work or site visits.

Several members urged that the committee consider short‑term items the council can act on sooner rather than a full renovation plan, and discussed the draft citywide comprehensive plan and parks master plan. Committee chair Larry Russell asked members to review the draft master‑plan material staff will circulate and said the group should decide by the next meeting whether to make formal recommendations to council about the golf course's priority in that plan.

The committee agreed to continue discussion next month. Staff will circulate the draft comprehensive/parks master plan excerpts and coordinate an email group for members to exchange information ahead of the next meeting.