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Hangman Golf Course Fix To Cost $1 Million Bond Repaid By Greens Fees Will Fund Flood-Repair Project

By Dan Hansen danh@spokesman.com

Using environmentally sound methods to repair flood damage at Hangman Valley Golf Course will cost nearly $1 million, an engineer reported Tuesday.

Spokane County Commissioners John Roskelley and Phil Harris agreed to seek contractors for the project, over the objections of Commissioner Kate McCaslin.

Work could begin this fall, said Frank Ide of Taylor Engineering Inc., whom the county hired to plan the project. County officials don’t want to start sooner because golfers wouldn’t be able to use the course.

Money for the work would come from a 20-year bond repaid through golf fees. But golfers may get a break: The state has recommended that the Federal Emergency Management Agency pay $680,000 of the cost, since engineers predict it will prevent future flood damage.

“It’s still taxpayer money, even if it does come from the federal government,” McCaslin said.

McCaslin complained that the state Department of Ecology gave the county few options for finding cheaper ways of repairing the damage.

For instance, Ide noted that the Ecology Department “strongly recommended” Taylor Engineering work with an Oregon engineering firm that specializes in the type of repairs the state would like to see in the golf course. The county and Taylor Engineering followed that advice.

McCaslin wonders whether another firm, not recommended by the state, could have come up with repairs that would be just as effective but not as costly.

“With all due respect to Ecology, I don’t think they’re very cost conscious, especially when it’s our money,” she said, comparing the proposal to buying Gucci loafers “when Keds sneakers will do the job.”

Doug Pineo, who worked on the plans for the Ecology Department, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The county-owned course was battered by Hangman Creek during floods in February 1996 and on Jan. 1, 1997.

The county and federal governments spent nearly $300,000 on repairs in 1996 and another $200,000 in 1997. Those repairs kept the golf course open, but weren’t long-term solutions. In places, the sandy stream bank is crumbling.

This year’s elaborate repairs will cost about $948,000 and will be “beefy” enough to withstand floods, Ide said. At the same time, the repairs will meet state requirements that the stream be restored to near-natural conditions, Ide said.

“I don’t think the Department of Ecology is going to accept anything else,” Ide said. He praised the agency for pushing hard for the federal grant, and said Ecology officials were “cooperative” during planning.

Plans call for rock “rip-rap” at the base of the riverbank, with stacks of soil-filled biodegradable bags on top. Shrubs and trees will top the banks.

In the past, landowners often have lined riverbanks with rip-rap - either rocks or car bodies - from top to bottom to prevent erosion from floods. In fact, rock rip-rap the county installed at Hangman Valley after the last flood must be removed before the new work can begin.

Scientists say such low-tech fixes are temporary and can increase flood damage downstream. Rip-rap also hampers the growth of streamside plants that are vital to fish and other wildlife.

Engineers and ecologists agree that rock rip-rap at Hangman Creek should be used only below the water line, to provide a strong foundation for the plants and soil above.

David Byrnes, the county’s deputy director of emergency management, said FEMA may decide within the next several weeks whether to provide as much money as the state suggested.

There are no guarantees that the county will get any federal money.

“Any time you’re going to do something to prevent damage from occurring again, they strongly support that,” Byrnes said.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COURSE HISTORY Hangman Valley Golf Course was battered by Hangman Creek during floods in February 1996 and on Jan. 1, 1997. The county and federal governments spent nearly $300,000 on repairs in 1996 and another $200,000 in 1997. Those repairs kept the golf course open, but weren’t long-term solutions.

This sidebar appeared with the story: COURSE HISTORY Hangman Valley Golf Course was battered by Hangman Creek during floods in February 1996 and on Jan. 1, 1997. The county and federal governments spent nearly $300,000 on repairs in 1996 and another $200,000 in 1997. Those repairs kept the golf course open, but weren’t long-term solutions.