Opportunity lost in RR club closure

We were wrong. When Jhett Browne purchased the country club with plans to renovate and rejuvenate the club’s golf courses and other facilities, we were excited. We saw it as an opportunity for Rio Rancho to maintain the open space provided by the golf courses and a facility that had been widely used for public events.

We listened, and we understood that there was a question about the future of the North Nine golf course. We were saddened by the problems that would be caused by closing the North Nine, but we still believed, overall, that keeping what we could and maintaining the facility — especially because Browne was allowing public use — would benefit the city.

It didn’t work out the way we thought it would — or maybe the way we hoped it would. The residents who lived near the golf course that was under siege waged a valiant battle to keep the course open. Browne fought back. Both sides had plenty of facts and figures, projections and predictions. We read them all. Obviously, Browne’s numbers and projections didn’t work the way he planned or the way we believed.

Now the entire facility is shuttered. All the golf courses are being neglected. Jobs have been lost. Bills have not been paid. And the future is uncertain.

We don’t know enough to say what was right and wrong, what should have been done or what shouldn’t have been done. We don’t know if someone else could have made it work or if the ending for this chapter was inevitable. More important, we don’t know what the next chapter will be.

There are plenty of rumors, talk about new buyers, word of major golf course owners being interested, fear that the golf courses are gone forever, wishful thinking that the city will buy it, but at this point the future is unknown.

We can’t imagine where the city would find the money to buy the course, fix it up and keep it operating. It’s not as if Rio Rancho has a bunch of money lying around that they don’t know how to spend. As far as possible future owners, we have no idea, nor do we have any particular knowledge about whether a golf course/country club is a good investment.

We believe the golf courses and the facility, whether public or private, were good for the city. Not only did they provide muchneeded amenities and a good game of golf, they provided attractive green areas for the residents. The demise of the club will also be a hardship for many residents whose house values may go down, which may, in turn, affect homeowners throughout the city. The city will also have one less amenity to use to lure new businesses to town. Everything in a community is tied together with seemingly small changes affecting everyone, one way or another.

Rio Rancho will survive. And, hopefully, in a few years we will have seen positive growth in ways we haven’t yet considered. But, for now, the future of the country club is unknown and the future impact is unknown.

We wish we hadn’t been wrong, and we wish we knew what went wrong. However, it is what it is today, and we can only hope the final outcome will benefit everyone.