It happened as of Jan. 1 — or Jan 4 precisely — when Albuquerque Chief Administrative Officer David Campbell signed off on new 2010 greens fees for Albuquerque’s municipal golf courses.
Increases range between 25 cents and $3.50. The changes were effective immediately, according to records of the City Golf Advisory Board. Here are the fees you’ll see when the weather warms up (increase in parentheses):
Words now comes that construction on a huge above-ground water-storage tank between Nos. 4 and 5 at Puerto Del Sol Golf Course is being pushed back to the fall, but construction could take as long as a year.
Puerto’s operator Tony Hidalgo sought a meeting in the next couple weeks with city officials to learn exactly how the course, its players and his business would be affected.
It’s astounding that a decision made by city officials 12 years ago sat there like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority, an indpendent entity, now handles the metro area’s water supply. No one there apparently communicated with or knew to communicate to Hidalgo that his business would be disrupted.
Puerto del Sol’s operator, Tony Hidalgo, got a jolt at a recent Albuquerque Golf Advisory Board meeting when city officials revealed that construction is about to begin on a 250,000-gallon water storage tank on the course between holes No. 4 and 5.
City officials had authorized the tank’s placement there in 1997, long before the current water utility, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, was created.
Somehow, someone forgot to tell Hidalgo, who manages Puerto and Arroyo del Oso under contract with the city. Hidalgo said installation of the tank could cut into rounds at Puerto.
Expect slicers off both holes to be ringing the bell of the new tank, which could resound through the neighborhood, depending on water levels inside. Construction could take most of this year.
