To golf, or not to golf: PUD commission ponders question

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners are expected to continue discussions on Tuesday, Feb. 17, regarding the Crescent Bar Island golf course and whether the nine-hole, 46-acre course should be maintained, or repurposed for other uses serving a wider range of visitors.

A consultant’s study outlining different use scenarios and cost analyses was shared with commissioners this past week.

One option is preserving and upgrading the existing golf course, which was initially developed in the 1960s by the Port of Quincy when it was leasing property from the PUD. Between revenues and expenses, operating costs currently result in a net annual loss of $290,000 to the utility district, according to the consultant analysis.

Other alternatives could include adding more RV camping spaces along with day-use and walk-in/group-use camp sites, developing mini-golf or disk golf facilities, or expanding natural areas and trails.

Retaining golf will likely require improvements to an aging irrigation system at a minimum estimated cost of $3.1 million. But of the various options, golf is considered to have the lowest long-term cost, and it has “notable” public support according to a survey conducted last year.  

During their Feb. 10 workshop, commissioners Nelson Cox and Larry Schaapman said they favored keeping the course while raising and standardizing greens fees for all golfers, residents or visitors. But commissioner Tom Flint felt the district’s maintenance of the course was subsidizing “very rich people to play golf.”

“The course shouldn’t ever have been there to begin with,” said Flint, noting it may eventually have to be removed in the future anyway.

The golf course, on its own, does not meet goals and objectives of the district’s Recreation Resource Management Plan, which is scheduled for an update in 2027, according to the consultant study. That would be a factor for the PUD when seeking to renew its federal license, which expires in 2052.

The RRMP — a provision of the license permitting operation of the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project with two dams on the Columbia River — requires amenities which serve “the broadest public use” for district-managed lands along the river from Crescent Bar southward beyond Priest Rapids Dam.

A combination of recreation facilities at Crescent Bar would meet the RRMP and its public access goals and objectives, the consultant study said. But estimated costs could range from $12.5 million to $28.4 million to implement those amenity options.

The study makes a number of comparisons regarding net operating income, net “present value,” and capital outlay costs between the various alternatives — retaining the golf course, converting to mini-golf or expanded camping uses, or “passive” development of natural areas and trails. The comparisons also address overall public benefit, maintenance needs, and environmental and sustainability factors.

Workshop information was presented to the commissioners by Ross Hendrick, the PUD’s director of environmental affairs, and Lorie Butterly, recreation/shorelines manager.

For two decades, as part of its federal licensing agreement, the utility district has been involved in an extensive remanagement of its shorelines properties to expand public access, facilities and recreation.

Past litigation was eventually settled with Crescent Bar residents regarding long-term leases and lease payments, and the district invested $35 million in island and off-island improvements to the Crescent Bar Recreation Area, which is a popular destination for visitors from across the state.