Park Board approves irrigation design work at Westview Golf Course, denies $25,000 donation to Riverfront Corporation

QUINCY — The Quincy Park District Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday night to spend $55,000 for irrigation design at Westview Golf Course.

Rome Frericks, executive director of the Park District, met with three irrigation design firms last year and recommended the services of Les Hill, an irrigation consultant from Navasota, Texas, who has been designing golf course irrigation systems for nearly four decades.

Hill will complete design work during the next four months. It will include:

• Design of the irrigation system for all 27 holes at Westview 
• Creation of specifications for the irrigation system replacement 
• Bid assistance 
• On-site staking of all irrigation components 
• Approval of all pay requests 
• Plans based on GPS data provided by contractor 

Frericks said he won’t ask Hill to come to Quincy to begin work until after the weather improves.

“I don’t want him to come in here with a foot of snow on the ground,” he said. “We want to take him out on a golf cart and pick his brain for a couple of days. Then it will be a lot of back and forth with David (Morgan, director of golf), Rick (Miles, golf course superintendent) and myself over emails and going over plans.”

Frericks said Hill will use GPS data to create the scope of the project, determine the number of sprinkler heads needed and the amount of pipe needed.

“If and when the board says, ‘Rome, go ahead and let’s pull the trigger,’ he’ll provide the documentation and get ready for the process of replacing the irrigation at Westview,” Frericks said. “He will find contractors, show them the scope of the work and get the bid documents out.”

Frericks said pools and irrigation systems typically last about 25 years. He said the current irrigation system at Westview is 28 years old. He expects the project, if approved by the Park Board, to cost approximately $2 million.

“We’re still a couple years out,” Frericks said about a potential start to replacing the course’s irrigation. “That’s a big decision that the board and staff still have to come up with.”

Commissioner Patty McGlothlin asked during the meeting if holes on the course would be closed during Hill’s irrigation design work or when construction begins. Frericks said no holes will be closed in either scenario.

“(Hill) is recommending to (irrigate) the entire course at the same time, because mobilization and getting all the equipment here would save money,” Frericks replied. “They will do their work in the roughs, then they’ll do the diagonal boring while play is still going on. They’re not going to be tearing up the fairways. They’re just digging trenches in the rough areas.”

“But that’s where I play,” McGlothlin said, getting the biggest laugh of the night.

At the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting, Board President John Frankenhoff took a moment to remember Jeff Steinkamp, a commissioner who died last month.

“He was a valuable part of what we were doing,” Frankenhoff said. “He worked hard and was a very good commissioner. Jeff will be missed.”

The Park Board appointed Alan Hickman as Steinkamp’s replacement. During a meeting last week, his name was drawn from a hat containing the names of three men who were scheduled to take office after the April election. Jarid Jones and Mark Philpot will take their seats in May.

Steinkamp discussed during the November Finance Committee meeting a possible donation of $25,000 from the Quincy Park District to the Quincy Riverfront Development Corporation to help with the startup costs for the newly formed group. Commissioners discussed the donation during the December Board meeting and directed attorney David Penn to look into the legality of the donation. 

Penn’s suggestion to the commissioners on Wednesday was that there was “not yet sufficient information to assess from a legal standpoint whether (he) can recommend legal authority” for the Quincy Park District to make the donation. The commissioners then voted not to make the donation.

In other action, the Park Board:

• Authorized staff to dispose of all closed session audio recordings more than 18 months old. 
• Approved an ordinance to sell $1 million in general obligation bonds to fund projects throughout the district. 
• Approved spending $14,200 on a design contract to build a restroom at Berrian Park. Park District officials believe they need an ADA compliant restroom because of the proximity of the new basketball courts, shelter house and playground. Park patrons will not have to cross the road. The current restroom was built back in the 1970s.
• Approved spending $22,700 on a design contract for a parking lot addition at Moorman Park. The popularity of the multi-purpose courts, batting cages and baseball tournaments has created a need for additional parking. The addition will allow an additional 50-55 stalls for park users.
• Approved spending $71,000 with TNT Golf Car & Equipment Co. to buy 20 golf carts at Westview Golf Course. The cost of the cars is $122,000, and the Park District will receive $51,000 when trading in 20 used carts. The purchase is the last installment as part of a three-year plan to buy 20 new carts a year.