By TERRY PUGH
A petition containing 44 names of homeowners in the Legends neighbourhood was presented to Warman City Council at a meeting on Monday, August 24.
The petition and accompanying letter called on the management and board of directors of the Legends Golf Club, and the City of Warman (which owns the property), to do a better job of maintaining the golf course grounds in the area that borders on their properties.
Specifically, they point to overgrown vegetation and neglected trees surrounding a pond, as well as weeds and rodents spilling over into their yards from the adjacent golf course.
In the letter, the homeowners express growing concerns regarding what they call “the deteriorating condition” of the golf course grounds over the past decade, and the resulting negative impact on property values and quality of life for residents.
“Many of us made the significant financial investment to purchase or build our homes and pay higher than average property taxes specifically because of their location backing onto the golf course,” notes the homeowners’ letter to council. “The scenic views, well-maintained greens, and attractive landscape were important factors in our investment and contributed greatly to the value and enjoyment of our properties.
“Unfortunately, the condition of the golf course has steadily declined over the past several years. The decline has become increasingly noticeable each year, with little or no meaningful effort made to restore or properly maintain the property. Rather than serving as an attractive feature for our neighbourhood, it has become an ongoing source of frustration and disappointment that directly affects the homeowners.”
Legends-area residents Menno Martens and Paige Muller spoke at the August 24 council meeting on behalf of homeowners, many of whom were in the council chambers gallery during the meeting.
“The first couple of years the maintenance of the golf course property was good,” said Martens. “We were proud to show it to visitors and say, ‘this is our golf course.’ But now it’s a different story. It’s pathetic.”
While the City of Warman owns the golf course property, the day-to-day operations of the facility, including the clubhouse and grounds, are the responsibility of the Legends Golf Club, which is managed by an elected board of directors.
Martens had nothing but praise for the city’s parks and recreation department, noting the maintenance of the Warman’s parks and green spaces is excellent.
“The city parks are nice and beautiful,” he said. “But for some reason, the golf course is not maintained to the same standard.”
Muller said the residents are not blaming the golf course workers. She feels the management of the golf club needs to give the area a higher priority, noting that residents’ complaints to the golf club board don’t seem to be taken seriously.
“We want the golf course to meet basic standards,” said Muller. “As homeowners, we certainly do.”
She said residents decided to take their case to city council in the hope of getting action taken on the issue.
“We’re taxpayers,” she said. “We expect help from the city.”
Warman City Councillor and Deputy Mayor Kevin Tooley is the city’s representative on the Legends Golf Club board of directors. He thanked the residents for bringing the matter to council’s attention, and said he would forward the petition to the Legends Golf Club board., which was scheduled to have a meeting on Tuesday, August 25. Tooley said he would put the issue on the agenda at that meeting.
Following the Legends Golf Club board meeting, Warman Mayor Gary Philipchuk wrote in an email to the Gazette on Wednesday, August 26 that the issue was discussed at the meeting.
“Deputy Mayor Tooley did have a golf board meeting last night and the petition and concerns were discussed,” wrote Philipchuk in the email. “It was encouraged that their administration work with our administration to look for comments and solutions to the concerns with a report coming back to the next committee council meeting by our administration.”