Good Morning,
It’s August already. That is so difficult to comprehend as we continue to march through the COVID 19 calendar.
Hot, dry, and humid has pretty much described the month of July. The irrigation system has been the highest priority as we continue on with the golf season. I have made several irrigation repairs in the field and we have dealt with issues in the pumphouse. But, overall the system has worked excellent. There are still some valves that will be replaced starting in the morning. This will eliminate some of the standing water by #10 green, etc.
With the lack of rainfall the irrigation system runs pretty much every night trying to provide the turfgrass with enough moisture to survive the conditions. We operate under a State of Iowa DNR water permit that sets the amount of water we can use to irrigate as well as pump out of our well between the months of April 1 through the end of October.
The irrigation records for the month of July were some of the highest we have seen in the past handful of years. The well pumped 9,072,000 gallons of water into the irrigation pond. That totals 27.83 acre feet of water which amounts to 1/3 of our permit total to pump into the irrigation pond. The golf course was irrigated with 11,000,000 gallons of water. That is a total of 30.67 acre feet of water or 1/4 of our permit from the DNR. Those are pretty scary figures in my mind.
To continue talking about records for the month of July we can move right into revenues. My records of daily receipts totals just shy of $64,000 for the month of July. That is over $12,000 higher than the average amount the past several years. It was a busy month and a very successful month at the golf course. Let’s hope for more great golf weather and some nightly rainfall as we move into August.
Quite a few of our golf events have been postponed or cancelled this season. But, we have also picked up a few new ones. Please check our schedule on the website for updates. ServPro is holding a four person best shot for first responders, the 2 Gal Triple Treat is moved to September 1, People for Pets is hosting their first annual golf event September 18, and the After 5 Kiwanis have scheduled their second annual glow ball event on September 26. We also have our regularly scheduled events on the calendar as well. The future looks bright for golfers!
Members of city boards and commissions, as well as staff, attended an onboarding session this past week. This session was very informative and helped board and commission members understand the role they play in city government, specifically with the area they represent. These volunteers are vital to the success of our city and community. I personally thank each one of you for taking the time to make the commitment.
Council and city staff also attended a budget session on Tuesday evening. This presentation was made by our Finance Director, Brian Weuve. It was valuable information especially as we enter the Capital Improvement Plan stages in the next week or two which will soon be followed by budget preparation for the fiscal year 21/22. Lots of things to think about moving forward.
Equipment is the last item we will discuss in the weekly update. Repair is one of the most common words my guys say to me on a daily basis. Currently there are three pieces of equipment in the shop that are in the middle of the repair process. I still have a few more in the cold storage waiting for an open space in the shop. The majority of our equipment has reached the highest level of maturity. Retirement is the next step for some of our machinery. It will be another busy week of repairs.
That concludes another week at The Muni. Please contact me with questions, comments, or concerns so they can be addressed in a timely manner. I will see the golf board tomorrow evening followed by the city council members at 6:30 PM. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend. It looks like another beautiful day!
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Brian C Mohr
Director of Golf Operations
City of Spencer
Spencer Municipal Golf Course
Spencer, Iowa 51301
712-260-5370
Spencer Municipal Golf Course 