LV to pay for repairs for golf course’s flood damage

Sito Negron

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2003 | 11:16 a.m.

The floods that tore through neighborhoods in northwest Las Vegas Aug. 19 also ripped into the greens and landscaping at Durango Hills Golf Club, causing about $150,000 in damage.

On Wednesday the Las Vegas City Council is expected to approve paying for the repairs, in addition to about $300,000 in other emergency expenses stemming from the flood. Those expenses include street resurfacing, detention basin cleanup and culvert cleaning, but also involve such minor payments as $59.31 for automotive filters and $193.84 for fire truck repair parts.

The expenses came under state and local regulations that allow emergency contracts without competitive bids.

"That work has already been done or in most cases already paid for," Mark Vincent, the city finance director, said.

The work at Durango Hills Golf Course fixes problems from "a significant movement of earth," Vincent said. He said the golf course is owned by the city and operated by a private company.

The flood ripped out trees and tore the greens right down the middle of the 70-acre course, he said. The 18-hole course opened November 2002 and cost $10.7 million.

Ackerman said roughly three-quarters of the 896 trees on the golf course were damaged. Of those, 450 blew over and 225 needed to be replaced. The trees include Mondale pine, ash, acacia and locust.

Las Vegas Field Operations spokeswoman Debbie Ackerman said more than half the golf course's trees were damaged and are being replaced, all the sand traps must be repaired and drainage channels must be dredged. Also, she said, granite used as edging to the course shifted and must be cleaned up or replaced. She said work is under way now.

The Aug. 19 storms dumped up to 3 inches of rain in less than a half-hour in some areas of northwest Las Vegas, flooding into homes and businesses, tearing through landscaping and depositing mud and other debris in swimming pools and living rooms.

Officials have said 180 homes and 80 businesses were damaged.