Councilman Charlie Halford made it clear.<\/p>\n
The city taking steps to reduce\u00a0 and ideally eliminate\u00a0 errant golf balls from pelting homes in the Golf Villas neighborhood that parallels the municipal golf course driving range needs to be a high priority.<\/p>\n
Halford Tuesday said the fact hundreds of golf balls a month clear a 60-foot net and repeatedly dent doors, smash windows and skylights, ding doors, and have even sent a woman who took a direct hit to the emergency room has been \u201cgoing on way too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bigger urgency than the (new southwest Manteca) fire station,\u201d Halford said.<\/p>\n
His council colleagues unanimously agreed as they passed a plan to spend $150,000 to construct new tee boxes with dividers and such angled to the west.<\/p>\n
After Councilman Dave Breitenbucher questioned whether that would be enough and the golf pro brought up questions about the ninth hole, the council made it clear the driving range alteration would be the first step if it doesn\u2019t essentially make golf balls clearing the net a rare occurrence.<\/p>\n
Taking the net higher to 80 feet, though would cost $450,000.<\/p>\n
Staff indicated they would procced with the project as quickly as possible \u2014 before Halford made his comments a time frame of four to six months was given \u2014 and to look at other steps if needed.<\/p>\n
The buyers of homes in the Golf Villas sign documents when they close escrow on mortgages that they hold the city harmless for golf ball related damages.<\/p>\n
It was a condition the developer of the neighborhood had to agree to in order to build homes adjacent to the golf course where the front nine was created on the site of the city\u2019s former municipal landfill.<\/p>\n
Golf balls are always an issue for people who reside next to a golf course.<\/p>\n
It is rare, however, that residential development occurs parallel to a driving range especially in the higher density that Golf Villas was built.<\/p>\n
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