BGCC Receives $305,000 in Grant Funding

Phase 1 of the Irrigation System Replacement to move forward.

The Bonnyville Golf & Country Club has received $305,000 in grant funding this spring to assist in upgrading the irrigation system. The latest funding, $125,000, comes from the Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP); which is designed to enhance public use facilities.

Heather Rymut, board member of the BGCC, says the money will be put together with grants received from the Town and Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville. Earlier this spring the Town committed $30,000, while the MD committed $150,000 to the irrigation project. “The golf course irrigation system is now over 25 years old.  It has been upgraded and patched to the point where there is no other option except to replace it.”  In order for the club to put in a system that makes use of today’s technology and one that will last another 75 years the club will need to raise approximately $1.5 million. “We plan to do this over the next 5-10 years,” confirms Rymut. “Over the past 55 plus years we have always met our financial obligations and tried to reinvest any profits back into our course improvements.  An undertaking such as the one we are embarking on is an ambitious one and our club will need to rely on contributors such as you while continuing with our disciplined economic plan.”

Irrigation Replacement Budget: Phase 1

Pump Station            116,590.00
Computer System   30,000.00
Satellites              100,800.00
Total                   $247,390.00

With funding in place the club plans to move forward with Phase 1 of the replace the irrigation system, explains Rymut. “The first phase which is installing a new pump station in conjunction with new controllers needs to be done within the year,” Rymut says, this would extend the life of their present irrigation system and make better use of their reservoir and transfer pump system.  “Our present pump station  and controllers are worn out to the point that we need to be creative to provide proper coverage of our irrigation needs which creates more man hours of labor and wasted water.  The current pump station and controllers are at risk of ceasing operation at any time.”

“Our course cannot operate without a pump station and controllers.  We would be at risk of having to close the golf course part of our recreational facility,” without a pump station the entire course is threatened and would have a drastic affect on the community, says Rymut. “This would have a negative ripple effect in our community.   If we don’t have golfers, we cannot employ people, the thousands of dollars raised through tournaments that is reinvested  into our community cannot happen, our local economy could  also take a big tourist hit as those who come to town to golf our pristine course would not be able to do so.” Rymut says  1 in 3 paying green fee players is from out of town which made up almost 15% of the 23,000 rounds of golf played on our course in 2015.

With a the financial contributions from the Town and MD, as well as the CFEP grant, the course also received use of a picker from Entrec Bonnyville to assist in the project. BGCC would like to thank the Town, MD and MLA Scott Cyr for all their hard work and partnership in ensure grant money was available. Also to the members, who golf the course year after year and to visitors of the course.