Golf Course Repairs To Cost $230,000

It will cost about $155,000 to repair bridges damaged by flooding at Hangman Valley Golf Course, Spokane County officials estimate.

One bridge, which takes golfers to the 18th hole, must be raised about 2 feet on one end and supported with piers. That work is expected to cost about $102,000 - less than the county’s initial estimate of $120,000 to $150,000.

Work on two other bridges is expected to cost about $15,000 and $38,000.

In addition, the county will spend about $75,000 clearing mud from the course, said county golf manager Mike Kingsley.

County commissioners have not approved the work. Engineers say it should be done while the ground still is frozen.

The bridges were damaged on New Year’s Day when Latah Creek overflowed its banks for 16 hours. A similar flood last February caused more than $300,000 in damage.

The repair estimates include more than 2,000 cubic yards of rock to line the creek’s badly eroded banks on both sides of each bridge.

Many ecologists and hydrologists say rocks only speed the river current, causing more damage downstream. But county engineers say rock linings are the only way to protect the bridges.

The county also plans bioengineering - a mix of plants and creative landscaping - to stabilize stream banks elsewhere on the golf course. The cost of that project has not been determined.

The county will seek federal disaster-relief money to help cover repair costs, said Claude Cox, county risk manager. The rest of the money will come from the county’s insurance pool.

“So, one way or another, some taxpayer somewhere is going to pay,” said county Commissioner Kate McCaslin.

McCaslin and her colleagues want the golf courses to earn enough profit to pay for repairs required after future floods.

, DataTimes