POA golf course
Property owners ponder golf course
By Chantelle Pence
Every spring a question comes to the surface in the Baca Grande Property Owners’ Association (POA). “Why are we spending so much money on the golf course?” Just like a mosquito, there’s a sting to it and it keeps coming back. The sting is that it costs roughly $40,000 annually to maintain and water the domesticated greenspace.
There is also the added burden of consumption of the local water system in a drought season and the fact that there are fewer than 200 regular users. Fee collection has been minimal, yielding a fraction of the total cost to operate the community amenity.
Those facts could make it seem like the best course of action would be to close down the golf course to conserve resources, but it’s not that easy. “If we stop watering the trees they will die, the invasive weeds would take over,” said LeRoy West, president of the POA. He provided context and information at a recent board meeting where the golf course was being discussed. It’s a dilemma that won’t go away by ignoring it. Momentum is being created to come up with cost effective and sustainable solutions and do something different.
In a rising trend of community engagement with the POA, citizens are stepping forward to offer solutions. Property owner and professional landscape architect Peter Callahan has offered his volunteer service to study the golf course situation and bring forth suggestions. “We need to do a photographic inventory,” said Callahan. “What are the soils, what are the shrubs? We need to understand the adjacent properties and see how it all works together.”
Working together is the only way a true change will be made on the course. Fortunately, the community is coming up with meaningful contributions and suggestions. The idea of converting some of the green space to xeriscape is one idea, to be in alignment with the natural environment. The space could be redesigned to be multipurpose to get a bigger return on investment. Trails, art installations, and perhaps a concert stage could be put in. Maybe the golf course could become a destination, with more paying users.
The golf course has the potential to generate revenue but thus far has operated as a (basically) free community amenity. In the past there was a cash box for donations. The small contingency of Crestone-Baca golfers added to it but it didn’t amount to more than a couple thousand a year. The POA is now charging $20 per game. There is a QR code displayed on a sign at the golf course, to scan and pay. This is a new system that is being tested, but everything golf course-related is still on the table for discussion.
At the June regular board meeting, board member Eddy Byerly reminded the folks gathered at the hall that “You are the POA.” It was spoken by others as well, a reminder to the property owners to be proactive and to get involved. The POA acts on behalf of the community’s interest. The Crestone-Baca community has a majority interest in the association’s largest amenity. Some community members think it unfair that their dues go towards a large investment that they don’t use. Others see it as vital to the health of the community.
Lydia Sprouts spoke at the POA meeting, as a mother and a property owner. “I don’t play golf, but I am pro golf course.” She pointed out the importance of local amenities for growing families and that the youth need more things to do, not less.
In her professional role as the executive director of the nonprofit Crestone Performances, Inc., she hopes the space can be used in 2027 for a musical event.
She envisions a multigenerational festival that is family-friendly and high quality. Historically the golf course was used for the annual music festival and proved to be an ideal space for a large community gathering. As an aside, board member Claudia Wolfe asked Sprouts if the Crestone Music Festival could book the band Rising Appalachia.
The POA board of directors is actively and rather enthusiastically working to steward a better solution for the golf course. A robust discussion has been started and will continue. Like with other community-driven projects, many hands are needed. To learn more, monthly board meetings are held at the POA Hall and are also available to attend by ZOOM.
Meeting information can be found at:
https://bacagrande.org, in the calendar under the “about” tab.