A $6 million, taxpayer-funded clubhouse at a Westlake golf course is straining under the weight of potential structural issues that an engineer recently warned could lead to it falling or caving in while the city has now hired a law firm to litigate the problems.
The Westlake City Council unanimously approved a resolution last week authorizing Mayor Hal McMillin to hire Stutes & Lavergne Law Firm over problems with the clubhouse and restaurant at The National Golf Club of Louisiana. The 16,000-square-foot facility was completed at the end of 2021, and cost $6 million through a combination of city, parish and state tax dollars.
King Architects, Ritter Consulting Engineers and Miller & Associates Development designed and built it. An attorney for King Architects disputed the structural issues.
Cracks can be seen on an exterior pillar of The National Golf Club of Louisiana’s clubhouse, which engineers photographed during a recent walk-through with officials at the city of Westlake.
Provided photo by Basin Engineering
McMillin said the building remains safe for the 20 city employees who work there and for those who frequent the clubhouse, which has golf cart storage on the ground level and a restaurant, The Max, on the second level. The clubhouse sustained about $400,000 in damage during Hurricane Laura in 2020 while under construction, which some officials suggested during recent meetings may have contributed to the current problems.
“We’re going to get it fixed. That’s the story,” McMillin said. “We caught it, and we’re going to get it fixed.”
But late last month, an engineer hired by the city warned the second level of the building could “fall or cave in” without immediate action, according to an audio recording of a Jan. 29 meeting. The engineer said temporary walls could alleviate immediate concerns, but a long-term fix would require a full structural evaluation.
Attorney Dale Clary, who is representing King Architects, said structural integrity issues at this stage are “only theoretical,” but the architect, contractor and engineer are cooperating with the city to evaluate allegations.
“At this point, King Architects disagrees there are any structural issues,” Clary said in an e-mailed statement. “There are none of the typical indications of building stress, e.g., sheet rock cracks, molding separated, doors sticking, etc.”
Attorney Tom Gayle, who represents Miller & Associates, issued a brief statement via email.
“Much like Dale [Clary], we are at the infancy of this discussion and are looking for more information before we can weigh in on the situation,” Gayle said.
Attempts to reach a representative at Ritter Consulting were unsuccessful.
City officials are considering several options regarding the concerns around the clubhouse. Among them: declaring a state of emergency at the clubhouse, building temporary walls to address load issues and even tearing down and rebuilding the facility, according to city records The Advocate reviewed through a public records request that include emails, audio recordings, meeting notes, meeting transcripts, engineering plans and service agreements.
McMillin said the city learned of potential structural issues about six months ago while installing sound barriers in the restaurant.
“There was some unevenness,” McMillin said. “We could just see some deflection — movement, some slight movement in the building.”
Westlake Mayor Hal McMillin at a council meeting Monday, February 9, 2026.
The mayor declined to elaborate on the specifics.
“The city of Westlake has learned of potential structural issues at The Max located at The National Golf Club of Louisiana,” said the city’s attorney, Rusty Stutes, in a statement. “The city has commissioned a thorough investigation of the potential issues with outside experts. Once their report is received and/or more reliable information is obtained, the city will update the information to the public.”
‘Walls settling, uneven floors, columns buckling’
The red flags started to emerge last year.
Engineer Byron Racca of Meyer & Associates wrote in a Sept. 4, 2025, letter to McMillin that a preliminary structural assessment identified signs of structural problems in multiple locations. Racca recommended that the city hire a structural engineer to look more closely at the building and to review architectural plans and other construction documents. He also advised the city to implement a structural monitoring plan to ensure public safety.
Shifting of a balcony railing can be seen on the exterior of The National Golf Club of Louisiana’s clubhouse, which engineers photographed during a recent walk-through with officials at the city of Westlake.
Provided photo by Basin Engineering
The mayor signed an agreement about a week later with Basin Engineering to investigate issues with “walls settling, uneven floors, columns buckling and doors sticking.” Basin Engineering’s Daniel Bobeck Jr. estimated the services would cost for $15,000, plus $4,600 for each site visit.
By the start of this year, during a Jan. 13 meeting between city officials and engineers, Westlake Clerk Andrea Mahfouz suggested declaring a state of emergency for the clubhouse to bypass usual bid requirements and their longer timelines.
Then Racca, along with Bobeck and Kirk Henry of Basin Engineering, advised city officials to find an attorney during a Jan. 16 walk-through of the building. They said the problems would be “expensive to fix” and could involve “a complete tear down and rebuild,” according to notes taken by Westlake Public Works Director Damon Hardesty. In the meantime, the engineers recommended building temporary walls to address load issues at the clubhouse.
At the end of January, McMillin convened a group of 15 city officials, engineers, architects and attorneys. He asked them to get problems “fixed in a very positive way, hopefully to not have litigation and to move forward,” according to an audio recording of the meeting. “I’m just going to tell you some of the stuff that they’ve told us is disturbing to me,” he added.
It remains unclear who would foot the bill for both temporary and long-term fixes.
“I’ve inherited a building that has structural problems,” McMillin said in the meeting. “I don’t see where the city is going to have to put out money to fix something that should have been built correctly — or built to standard, or engineered to standard.”
Engineers video-conferenced again with Westlake officials Feb. 2 and suggested options to temporarily fix the overloading of walls near the facility’s second-floor bathrooms and kitchen. They also detailed other problems they identified from a walk-through, including improvised structural supports that were not in the original plans or tied to documented change orders, according to a transcript of the meeting.
Engineer’s report in progress
The National Golf Club of Louisiana opened in 2009 as the centerpiece of Westlake’s 600-acre, master-planned community called The Villages of West Trace. Like other city-owned golf courses, Westlake has struggled to keep expenses down and increase revenues at the property. Former Mayor Bob Hardey pitched the idea of the restaurant, the Max, as a way to help bring in more revenue.
The facility has storage space for about 100 golf carts, a bar and grill with seating for 180, a pro shop and an administrative area. About 3,000 of Westlake’s 5,000 residents visit the golf course each year, City Council Member Lori Peterson said at a meeting this month.
McMillin said the clubhouse is now fully paid for and is operating in the black, thanks in part to The National’s new manager, Jamie Perkins.
Perkins said no employees or customers have raised concerns to him about the building.
“It’s just stuff that we see day in and day out,” he said. “I’ve made walks around with all those guys (engineers), and there’s no imminent danger.”
Basin Engineering issued a report on Feb. 12 with recommendations on how to temporarily shore the clubhouse. There is no cost estimate associated with the temporary fix, and no formal action has been taken by the city to enact the plan, according to McMillin.
A full engineer’s report is expected later this month.