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Pharr golf board hears plan to explore replacing aging PVC irrigation with HDPE; director to seek bids
Summary
The Pharr Golf Course Advisory Board heard a technical presentation explaining how high-density polyethylene (HDPE) irrigation pipe differs from aging PVC, and the golf director said he will solicit bids to inform a possible multi-million-dollar replacement during the budget process.
Pharr's Golf Course Advisory Board on April 6 heard a detailed presentation on chronic leaks and sprinkler failures in the course's 2004 PVC irrigation system and a recommendation to explore replacing it with HDPE (high-density polyethylene) piping.
"HDPE is a type of plastic just like PVC is," said Ben Bennett, the course's irrigation designer, explaining the material and its installation method. "Instead of glue, you use heat," Bennett said, describing how HDPE pipe is heat-fused to form long, watertight runs that, if installed correctly, reduce the frequency of leaks.
Why it matters: Board members and staff described recurring repair costs and daily maintenance time spent diagnosing flagged sprinkler heads. Will Bowski, the golf director, told the board staff are spending a large portion of maintenance dollars on repairs and urged long-term planning. "We could spend $2.5 million now or we can continue to pay and watch our money," Bowski said, framing the possible full replacement as a budgetary decision.
Bennett and superintendent Juan Salis outlined technical tradeoffs: HDPE requires specialized fusion equipment and trained fusion crews, meaning fewer local contractors can perform the work. Bennett said those constraints drive procurement considerations and can affect schedule and cost. "There's a generator and a fusing machine you carry around the golf course; you heat-fuse the pipe so it doesn't leak," Bennett said.
The board's discussion focused on scope and next steps rather than approving a project. Bowski said he plans to solicit bids to get current market pricing and to prepare requests for the upcoming budget process. "I'm going to be looking for bids and I want to get a feel for the industry and how much this is," he said.
Board members asked for more detail on contractor availability and phasing options; Bennett cited other regional renovation projects as examples and noted prior work that reduced head counts or phased renovations to lower immediate costs.
The meeting closed the irrigation discussion with staff directed to gather bids and pricing detail so the board can consider a budget request in coming months.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 181; topfinish SEG 647.
