The Elk Point Golf and Country Club is taking the first steps to potentially realize a big dream.
On Friday, golf course president Don Schultz and vice-president Murray Cochrane approached County of St. Paul council with the idea of relocating the golf course to a new location - one that would overlook the North Saskatchewan River.
The golf course representatives have already approached the Town of Elk Point with the idea. The town then approved the golf course's request to proceed with testing of gravel that is located under the current location of the course - but at no cost to the town.
One of the main reasons for wanting to relocate the golf course is water, said Schultz during Friday's delegation with County of St. Paul council. Because it is believed that the golf course sits on gravel, watering the facility is an issue, and more water is required.
Every season is proving to be more challenging when it comes to keeping the facility watered, said Cochrane. He asked if the County of St. Paul would be interested in helping the organization determine what type of gravel and rock is actually under the golf course. Knowing what is underneath the golf course would help with making future decisions on the potential relocation project.
When asked about a cost estimate to relocate the golf course, Cochrane and Schultz explained the new golf course would be designed as 18 holes, but only nine holes would be developed at first. Those first nine holes would cost about $2 million.
A clubhouse would also be built, which would cost close to $1 million. Purchasing the real estate for the new golf course would also cost about $1 million. Overall, the project could inch towards the $6 million mark, heard council.
"In a perfect world, you would pay for the new course with the gravel pit," said Reeve Steve Upham, when speaking to Schultz and Cochrane, to which they agreed, noting the first step would be to find out how much gravel is under the current golf course.
"We've got big dreams," said Cochrane.
Schultz noted that organizers are looking to the future, and if a project is done, they want to do it right the first time, and everything would have to be done in an organized manor.
If gravel is accessed under the golf course, the County of St. Paul would have the first option at purchasing the product, through a deal that would be struck with the Town of Elk Point, heard council.
"If the gravel is there, if could be good for everybody," said Cochrane, later adding, "A scenic river view golf course could be good for the whole area."
Following the delegation, council discussed the issue further. During the meeting was noted that there is a government gravel pit near the golf course, which was reported to have a specific type of rock in it, used for highways. Following the meeting, Kitz said she could not confirm if this was accurate.
A motion to bring costs forward to test the area for gravel was carried.
