Hillcrest sand traps have drainage problems

Talk about it

More than half of the approximately 27 sand traps at Hillcrest Golf Course have drainage problems, and the Jamestown Parks and Recreation Commission is looking at ways of fixing them.

“The water has no place to go,” said Doug Hogan, director of Parks and Recreation.

One cost estimate was that it would take $4,100 to fix each sand trap, because all the sand would have to be removed, drainage tile would have to be put in and the trap would have to be reshaped.

Currently the traps do not have proper drainage, said Marlyn Bertsch, golf course superintendent.

Filling them in would simply mean a dirt-and-grass low spot filling up with water rather than a sand trap filling up with water.

Traps on holes 14, 12, 1 and 5 were brought up as some of the worst of the lot.

Parks and Recreation officials are going to look into the cost of fixing the sand traps, and together with the commission, will determine which sand traps should be fixed first.

One possibility for the future is using coal slag sand for the sand traps. The black sand wouldn’t make any difference as to the drainage of the traps, but would look and feel different from conventional sand.

In other news Monday, the commission:

* learned that 13 skunks have been trapped on Hillcrest Golf Course in the past month.

* learned that public skating in the city’s ice arenas has been less popular than expected this year, possibly due to the nice weather.

* heard from Commissioner Joyce Heinrich that the Bark in the Park event, benefiting Service Dogs for America and Prairie Paws Rescue, had been a success, despite rain.

* agreed to do some long-range planning and determine what projects need to be done for its facilities.

* set its next meeting for 4 p.m. Nov. 7.

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be

reached at 701-952-8453

or by email at

klucin@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, golf