POA releases position statement
On Friday, April 20, the day after its regularly scheduled work session, the POA released a position statement that detailed a series of proposed actions related to valley flooding. The statement was not discussed at the work session. During the work session, Chairman Ron Stratton stressed that the board had not been meeting privately to discuss the flooding issue and only voted during regular board meetings.
After the Thursday work session, Stratton asked nonmembers to leave the boardroom, saying that the board wanted to discuss emails that had been received about the valley golf courses.
As a private corporation, the Bella Vista POA is not regulated by the Freedom of Information Act like government entities. Instead, it is governed by its policies and bylaws, including policy 1.01.5 which reads, “The Board may hold discussion sessions that will normally not be open to others. No formal action may be taken at such sessions and minutes will not be recorded.”
The document, about two and a half pages, calls the flooding, “one of the most complex challenges in the history of Bella Vista.”
After summarizing the problem, the document continues, “The question is how much more of our members’ money do we continue to spend, without a thoughtful, step-wise plan of action toward a sustainable solution…?”
The Country Club is a priority, the statement said. Work that can make that course more flood-resistant is in order.
Partnerships with organizations like the NWA Trailblazers should be considered if it can
offer a way to keep the valley attractive without a golf amenity.
But if the board closes the other two valley courses, that leaves four courses with 18 holes.
“Mathematically, four courses can now manage our current volume of play. But there would be more demand for fewer tee times, less freedom to easily choose specific times on specific golf courses, and less potential to revitalize golf here,” the document said. Five 18-hole courses would be “ideal.”
There are two options for a fifth course. One is Kingsdale, or the board could choose to build a new course on the 366 acres of land the POA owns north of Bella Vista, the Ark/Mo property.
The document sets forth three proposals:
• First, the nine holes closed at Berksdale should remain closed.
• Second, the other nine holes at Berksdale should remain open until the end of this year and then the entire course should be closed but maintained for “general beauty.”
• The third proposal calls for an independent consultant to look at future golf demand in Bella Vista. If needed other studies could be made to analyze the real estate potential and the engineering needed for the Ark/Mo land.
A new Vision 2020 task force will be created to develop a Valley Master Plan beginning with Berksdale.
The board and management will develop a financial master plan with specific funding proposals.
The agenda for tomorrow’s regular board meeting shows the board plans to vote on all three proposals.