Golf club house to reopen in March

RITZVILLE - City officials are hoping to reopen the golf course clubhouse in March, following cleanup and repairs caused by flooding late last month.

During the Feb. 7 City Council meeting, Public Works Director Dave Breazeale provided a report on the Jan. 28-29 incident and subsequent repair work.

"The coffeepot feed line blew up and flooded the basement and upstairs at the golf course clubhouse," Breazeale said, noting 12 rooms were flooded, including bathrooms.

An initial inspection revealed one of the kitchen's three layers of flooring contained asbestos, he said.

"That, of course, will need to be abated," he said. "We also lost 60 or 80 square feet of carpet in the front dining area. But the main damage is in the basement. All the old carpet there will need to be replaced."

Fortunately, he said, public works staff were monitoring the clubhouse already because of a possible leak in the scullery.

"If we hadn't been checking, the feed-line problem could have gone undetected for months," Breazeale said. "As it was, water from the feed line had been leaking for only a few days. But a small hole led to a lot of water damage."

A contractor was working at the clubhouse the next day, he said. The kitchen was being cleared and damaged flooring removed.

The clubhouse is scheduled to reopen for business in March, he said. But that timeline will depend on how quickly floors dry and other repairs are completed.

Councilmen Dennis Chamberlain and Mike Schrag asked about whether already-planned clubhouse improvements - upgrades to the building's insulation, windows and furnace - would interfere with mitigation efforts.

"I haven't seen bids for that work, yet," Breazeale said. He did not express any concerns about overlapping repair and remodel activities.

Councilwoman Michelle Plumb noted the city has filed an insurance claim to cover clubhouse damages.