The Becker City Council Tuesday moved on with their capital improvements plan for Pebble Creek Golf Course, approving a bid of $60,034 for reshaping sand bunkers to Holes 8 & 9 on the White Course.
Hired to do the work was Hartman Companies. Duinick, which had done their first set of bunkers three years ago, finished second in the bidding; Landscapes Unlimited was third.
Action to approve the work came by a 3-2 margin, with Councilmembers Lori Keller, Tracy Bertram and Adam Oliver approving the measure. Mayor Lefty Kleis, who has regularly voiced his opposition to such improvements, and Councilman Rick Hendrickson cast naye votes. Hendrickson based his opposing vote because he felt a business plan hadn’t yet been offered by the golf task force.
Keller asked for passage of the project because the council had placed $75,000 in their budget last year for the work.
Hendrickson and Kleis first asked the council to table the issue; that failed by the 3-2 margin, after which the motion to approve passed.
The work is to be done this year; some sod work around the bunkers will be done by golf course folks.
The work on Holes 8 and 9 (which front to the east side of the clubhouse) completes the White Course improvements.
During open forum Tuesday, Resident Dustin Lozinski presented a chart showing finances of the course since its beginning, noting there had only been four years in the mid-1990’s where profits were registered.
He asked the council to withhold further improvements, arguing the money could be better spent on other city endeavors.
Discussion was occasionally testy on the White Course improvements, and it got noisier when the council deliberated dissolution of their rental agreement with the owners of Hunter’s Ridge, which has three years remaining.
The council approved an asset transfer agreement, whereby they will receive $20,971 in value of equipment from owners Shelly Mattson and Nick Mattson. Sherburne State Bank, which held their loan for the business, agreed to release their lien.
The Mattsons due to operating losses were about $63,000 in debt in unpaid rent and utilities to the city. Allowing them to dissolve the rental agreement in theory would have cost the city another approximate $90,000 in lost rent (plus utilities) for the coming three years.
“All claims would be dismissed. Sherburne State Bank is okay with it,” advised Attorney Scott Lepak.
“Why did we allow Hunters Ridge to get to this point?” asked Kleis.
“We’ve had this conversation before,” responded Oliver.
City Will Be Vender
Having no party to run the restaurant services, the council has opted to purchase soda pop for sale on the course and in the food bar on the base floor.
They approved a pact with Bernick’s Pepsi of St. Cloud for soft drinks over a five-year period. Viking Coca Cola of St. Cloud had a higher bid.
Kleis argued the city should not be in the vending business at the course, voting against the arrangement with Bernick’s. The issue passed by a 4-1 vote.
In Open Forum
During open forum, two familiar faces stepped to the podium to request things:
•Former Councilman Roger Bigalke said the city should provide free compost from their site to residents, rather than selling all of it, as a public service;
•Veteran John Riebel implored the city to remove and replace three tattered flags from in front of City Hall, calling them a disgrace.
