BROOKINGS — The years-long effort to bring a reliable water supply to Edgebrook Golf Course has hit a bump in the road: Project bids whose prices were far higher than expected.
Brookings Park, Recreation and Forestry Director Kristin Zimmerman told members of the Park & Recreation Advisory Board at their Dec. 1 meeting that the lowest bid clocked in at $2.1 million — $800,000 higher than an engineer’s estimated cost of $1.3 million.
She said the $800,000 difference for the raw water line connection to Brookings Municipal Utilities wells was too much of a swing for the department to cover.
“To be honest, we do not have $2.1 million … to allocate for the water sourcing,” Zimmerman said. “However, it is still a priority for our department to make sure that project happens, so we are able to secure a water source.”
That said, a meeting was planned this week to go over the current costs line-by-line to see how the department can still make the project happen, but “really controlling those costs” in doing so.
“Once we come back with — we’re talking with our engineer (about) what we can do to reduce the scope of the project to still get water at the golf course. Once we have that, we’ll bring it back to the Park Board in January,” Zimmerman said.
The water issues at Edgebrook aren’t new; they’ve bedeviled the course for years, which currently draws its water from ponds that are reliant on the generosity, or lack thereof, of Mother Nature.
Multiple options were studied in the past to find a reliable water supply before the city settled on the raw water link to BMU. It would rely on a roughly mile-long buried pipeline just west of Interstate 29 extending north from Edgebrook to a BMU line near where the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern rail line passes under the interstate.
Zimmerman said some of the most expensive project items included dewatering where the pipeline would go — groundwater levels are fairly high along its route — along with mobilization costs.
In all, there were a total of six bids — and, speaking of bids, Zimmerman said it was likely the project would have to be re-bid because of the impending changes to its scope.
She added that her department is also reconsidering the other potential water sources — including a well at the Southbrook Softball Complex that’s south of Edgebrook — which had been previously studied in the earlier stages of the project.
“We’re looking at all of the sources again because that might bring — with (the current) cost being $800,000 over the engineer’s estimate — a different option (that’s) more financially responsible,” Zimmerman said. “Ultimately, we’re going to do what is in the best interest of the golf course to secure a water source that is long term and financially sustainable.”
The pricing woes also mean the start date of the project will be pushed back, likely by four to six months. In other words, it won’t start in the winter months as anticipated, but rather more toward spring.
“It’s a balancing act. If it means we have to close two holes for the majority of the season, we will to make sure that we secure that water source,” Zimmerman said.
Adding a degree of perspective, she noted that $2.1 million is, over a two-year period, the entire revenue for the golf course. It brings in about $800,000 to $900,000 each year in revenue and breaks even most years after expenses — such as facility maintenance and contractor costs to operate the clubhouse — are considered.
“We’re trying to do a lot with what we have,” Zimmerman said.
Some options include putting the pipeline above ground, if the current plan’s costs can be wrangled into more favorable territory.
“We liked hooking up to the BMU raw water line option because it offers redundancy,” Zimmerman explained, adding that relying on a well comes with the risk that it could fail.
— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@cmpapers.com.
