LV council discusses bonds for golf course

Four years ago at one of his first Town Hall meetings, newly elected Las Vegas City Councilman Larry Brown was surprised by a turnout of 400 angry northwest residents.

They were upset with Brown for emphasizing sports complexes -- ballparks and soccer fields -- over a golf course.

The residents told Brown the city had promised a nine-hole municipal golf course at Gowan Road and Durango Drive, a promise that led many of them to buy homes there.

"I explained to them that although the golf course was proposed, it was never approved nor budgeted for, so I told them I would work with the neighborhood and the city to identify means to build that golf course," he said.

Brown kept his word.

On Wednesday, the City Council will discuss issuing $12 million in bonds to build a city-maintained 70-acre golf course at the site, along with a 10-acre city park.

The item will be passed to a committee, which will make a recommendation to the council at a future date.

The park would be maintained by the city and have walking trails, picnic areas, basketball courts and a skateboard park.

The city would not subsidize the golf course, but would hire a private operator to run the course and repay the bonds over 20 years.

Brown said the operating and final construction costs will determine the cost to play a round of golf, but ideally it would be about $30.

If the proposal is approved, Brown said the city could break ground in October and that the golf course and park could open in the summer or fall of 2002.

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