OGC COMMUNICATIONS
*John Williston
*John Williston
There has been a lot of discussion about a July 4th article in the Press Democrat covering a Board of Public Utilities meeting in late June. At that meeting, representatives of the Board and City of Santa Rosa indicated that the present situation, under which OGC and OVA receive treated water from a small old sewage treatment plant next to Oakmont, could not be sustained as the plant was too expensive to maintain, and that its closure was under consideration.
The plant was built by Oakmont's original developer, Fairfield Homes, Inc. and turned over to the city in the 1960's to treat Oakmont's waste water. As part of this turnover, the City was to provide the resulting wastewater to the golf courses and the Village Association at no cost. This was a win-win situation for all concerned, as treated wastewater was ideal for irrigation and was otherwise considered something of a nuisance to get rid of. As time went on, a new treatment plant near Rhonert Park was brought online in 1968 which was more efficient and which expanded rapidly, treating ten times more wastewater in 2009 than forty years earlier. The Oakmont plant, on the other hand, grew older and comparatively less efficient. Now the time has come for a decision about how to proceed - renovate the old plant or shut it down.
The Press Democrat article suggested that the most likely choice by the City would be to close down the Oakmont plant. If you missed the article when it appeared, the link to it can be found on the home page of the oakmontgcmembers.com website. Basically, it suggests that the City considers the plant too expensive to continue to operate. The impression left by the article is that this decision has been made and that the Oakmont golf courses will have to come up with an alternative source of irrigation water. That alternative is not a slam-dunk, however, as the original agreement between the City and the Oakmont community did not appear to specify any time limits. One interpretation of the agreement is a legal opinion that, if the City does close the plant, it must continue to supply water at no cost to our community. The city does not agree. "Neither party to this agreement is obligated to either provide the water or receive the water," deputy city attorney, Janice Killion, told the Board.
Where to go from here? One possibility is expensive legal adjudication. The path chosen at this point is negotiation between the parties, and committees representing both sides have been formed to investigate the most practical solutions. The Oakmont committee will have representatives of both the Oakmont Golf Club and Oakmont Village. A number of vexing problems must be tackled, including who actually holds title to the old treatment plant! Stay tuned.
The Wednesday Men's Club has a new 2010 Club Champion, Roger Ballard, who emerged victorious in Flight 1 of the match play tournament which ended on Wednesday, July 14. The winners of Flights 2 - 5 had a playoff on July 16, with Al La Porte winning bragging rights. The Consolation playoff was won by Joe Di Benedetto. Other playing sections will have their own championships running through October. Look for results here in the OVA News and on the Member's website.
Get out your tie-dyes and other hippie attire for the Woodstock Revisited Twilighter on August 23! Last year's Woodstock event was a smashing success and many of those present bought bargain-priced tie-dye shirts. Be sure to wear them again this year. Rumor has it that a psychedelic light show will also be featured. Speaking of social events, the Wine, Dine, and Nine event on June 26 at the Quail Inn featuring B. R. Cohn wines is scheduled to be repeated with the Kenwood and Chateau St. Jean Wineries. This event was very popular and may appeal to many more of the area's businesses.
Another new event and interesting concept is the Set Scramble. It will be tried here in Oakmont on August 8, and will continue in Las Vegas in September with the national quarterfinals, and in October with the semi-finals and final. Over 1,000 four-player teams are expected to play in September. Get details at http://www.setscramble.com. Imagine two players stroking the ball off the tee at the SAME time, and all four players hitting off the fairway at the same time (with four paces separation between them). Ought to be a kick!
Last, and certainly not least, the Nominating Committee for the Board of Directors election later this year has been formed. Sal Cesario will chair the committee, and he will be joined by Grover Blackburn, Ellie Baciocco, Rebecca Wellman, and Mike Doyle. This is a very experienced and approachable group, and they will be interested in your suggestions for Board candidates. We have three vacancies and need six candidates. This is your club and it needs you. Time to step up!
The plant was built by Oakmont's original developer, Fairfield Homes, Inc. and turned over to the city in the 1960's to treat Oakmont's waste water. As part of this turnover, the City was to provide the resulting wastewater to the golf courses and the Village Association at no cost. This was a win-win situation for all concerned, as treated wastewater was ideal for irrigation and was otherwise considered something of a nuisance to get rid of. As time went on, a new treatment plant near Rhonert Park was brought online in 1968 which was more efficient and which expanded rapidly, treating ten times more wastewater in 2009 than forty years earlier. The Oakmont plant, on the other hand, grew older and comparatively less efficient. Now the time has come for a decision about how to proceed - renovate the old plant or shut it down.
The Press Democrat article suggested that the most likely choice by the City would be to close down the Oakmont plant. If you missed the article when it appeared, the link to it can be found on the home page of the oakmontgcmembers.com website. Basically, it suggests that the City considers the plant too expensive to continue to operate. The impression left by the article is that this decision has been made and that the Oakmont golf courses will have to come up with an alternative source of irrigation water. That alternative is not a slam-dunk, however, as the original agreement between the City and the Oakmont community did not appear to specify any time limits. One interpretation of the agreement is a legal opinion that, if the City does close the plant, it must continue to supply water at no cost to our community. The city does not agree. "Neither party to this agreement is obligated to either provide the water or receive the water," deputy city attorney, Janice Killion, told the Board.
Where to go from here? One possibility is expensive legal adjudication. The path chosen at this point is negotiation between the parties, and committees representing both sides have been formed to investigate the most practical solutions. The Oakmont committee will have representatives of both the Oakmont Golf Club and Oakmont Village. A number of vexing problems must be tackled, including who actually holds title to the old treatment plant! Stay tuned.
The Wednesday Men's Club has a new 2010 Club Champion, Roger Ballard, who emerged victorious in Flight 1 of the match play tournament which ended on Wednesday, July 14. The winners of Flights 2 - 5 had a playoff on July 16, with Al La Porte winning bragging rights. The Consolation playoff was won by Joe Di Benedetto. Other playing sections will have their own championships running through October. Look for results here in the OVA News and on the Member's website.
Get out your tie-dyes and other hippie attire for the Woodstock Revisited Twilighter on August 23! Last year's Woodstock event was a smashing success and many of those present bought bargain-priced tie-dye shirts. Be sure to wear them again this year. Rumor has it that a psychedelic light show will also be featured. Speaking of social events, the Wine, Dine, and Nine event on June 26 at the Quail Inn featuring B. R. Cohn wines is scheduled to be repeated with the Kenwood and Chateau St. Jean Wineries. This event was very popular and may appeal to many more of the area's businesses.
Another new event and interesting concept is the Set Scramble. It will be tried here in Oakmont on August 8, and will continue in Las Vegas in September with the national quarterfinals, and in October with the semi-finals and final. Over 1,000 four-player teams are expected to play in September. Get details at http://www.setscramble.com. Imagine two players stroking the ball off the tee at the SAME time, and all four players hitting off the fairway at the same time (with four paces separation between them). Ought to be a kick!
Last, and certainly not least, the Nominating Committee for the Board of Directors election later this year has been formed. Sal Cesario will chair the committee, and he will be joined by Grover Blackburn, Ellie Baciocco, Rebecca Wellman, and Mike Doyle. This is a very experienced and approachable group, and they will be interested in your suggestions for Board candidates. We have three vacancies and need six candidates. This is your club and it needs you. Time to step up!