GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – The Jackrabbit Run Golf Course is asking for more money to be added to their budget from the Grand Island City Council in order to fix several maintenance problems on their course.

At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, management with the golf course asked for more money for projects that included improvements to their irrigation system, septic system and improvements to the maintenance facility and clubhouse.

General Manager SaDonna Manfull said the main issues with the irrigation system has to do with the ground shifting at the 11th hole, which puts strain on the 48-year-old PVC pipes, causing them to break. She said they’ve had a number of issues with pipes breaking so far this season.

”We have had, unfortunately, four catastrophic irrigation failures just this season,” Manfull said. “We’re so fortunate that they happened during the day when our maintenance crew was here and when there were golfers here. If any of those would have happened overnight or when we weren’t here, it could have damaged a significant portion of the course.”

Manfull also said the course shifts in the area because it was built on top of the old city landfill and the ground where the 11th hole sits has been leveled several times before, just to shift again and break pipes.

The other issues they face is with the sewer system, which is not attached to the city’s water system, but an outdated septic system. Manfull said the system needs fixed quickly before it’s too late.

”We are using a septic system that is also original to the course, so it’s 48 years old and the lifespan of a septic system is 15 to 40 years,” Manfull said. The septic system is going to fail. It’s not a matter of if it’s going to, but when is it going to happen.”

She also said the maintenance building on the course has also developed leaks in the roof that are at their worst during the winter time after it snows and the snow melts. They are hoping to either build a new building, or fix the roof, if there’s enough money in the budget.

Jackrabbit Run Golf Course is also in need of repairs to their clubhouse, which Manfull said is 48 years old and is having problems structurally.

“Our current structure is a modular building that has been added onto twice and it is 48 years old. Structurally, it’s pretty much at the end of its life,” Manfull said. “I turn away business from Jack Rabbit Run about every week from people, who want to find a place to hold a meeting, or a shower, or even large golf tournaments and the reason I have to turn them away is because I don’t have a way to give them a private space.”

The golf course is looking at ways to increase revenue in order to help earn more money for the costs of supplies, minimum wage increases and maintenance, by redefining their weekend from being Saturday and Sunday, to Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the 2025 fiscal year.

Despite, the new weekends possibly adding some more revenue to Jackrabbit Run, Manfull said they still need help from the city council in order to make the maintenance repairs happen and keep the Course in good shape.

”We’ve been here for 48 years and we just really want everybody to know that we want to be the destination golf course for Grand Island,” Manfull said. “We just want to have a facility that we can be proud of, that meets our needs and that we can operate in a fiscally responsible manner to make sure that we’re breaking even as a business. We just need the city’s support to make that happen.”

The Grand Island City Council will make a decision on the 2025 Fiscal Year Budget at a later meeting.

Click here to subscribe to our KSNB Local4 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Copyright 2024 KSNB. All rights reserved.