Lou Wallman
Lou Wallman came to Bella Vista for the amenities and he wants to serve on the board to ensure that the amenities are cared for. He’s both a golf- er and a tennis player.
During his working years, Wallman was a police officer, a high school teacher and a contractor. He spent much of his career
in California, where he was once the manager of a racquetball and tennis club and the director of the Northern California Racquetball Association.
After moving to Van Buren, he spent 12 years on that city’s planning commission and taught automotive and construction classes at Van Buren High School. He moved to Bella Vista in 2016.
“People move here and then they don’t use the amenities,” he said, “I’m just flabbergasted that they don’t take advantage of the things we have. It’s amazing.”
He supported the last assessment increase and
will probably support the next one, he said. But he wants to make sure the money goes into the right amenities.
“Why put money into restaurants?” he asked. “This (Berksdale) is a $20,000,000 golf course. We need to take care of what we’ve got and make it work.”
He believes a contractor can fix the erosion issues, and the course can reopen without any more studies.
The amenities already have a good balance for younger and older residents, Wallman said. Younger residents can use the hiking and biking trails, the swimming pools,
the tennis courts and the lakes. But he sees many younger families that don’t take advantage of those opportunities. They stay indoors, while the older residents use the golf courses and tennis courts.
Turning amenities over to the city is not a good idea, he said. The city isn’t equipped to run the amenities.
People who are negative about the POA don’t like the way money is spent, he said. If the POA spent money on the amenities that people want — including resurfacing the tennis courts — they wouldn’t face the negativity.