Seniors get Eagle Valley golf season pass

Although seniors will get a season pass for Eagle Valley Golf course, golfers continued to complain Thursday that Carson City officials don't adequately invest in the golf course.

Several golfers questioned why sales taxes that once supported the golf course are now paying the debt against the Pony Express Pavilion.

"Can we get it back? Please?" asked golfer Charles Drown.

Jack McQuirk, president of the Eagle Valley Men's Club, said the city is being discriminatory by spending money on other recreational activities but not on golfers who are taxpayers.

Former Carson mayor and supervisor Doc Scrivner presented supervisors with petitions signed by about 500 golfers requesting Quality of Life money be used to subsidize golf for seniors and youth. Scrivner said that because the course needs extra funds to keep running, the city should at least subsidize youth golf.

Quality of Life, also known as Question 18, was approved by Carson City voters in 1996 to increase sales tax by a quarter-cent to fund new park facilities, open space and maintenance on new park facilities.

Donna Kuester, a member of the former Quality of Life committee, told supervisors she thought considering funding for the golf course out of Question 18 money is premature when there are other projects lined up for the money. She said voters approved Question 18 with a specific list of items that did not include the golf course.

Mayor Ray Masayko said there was a "weak link" between discussion of using Quality of Life funds for the golf course and the season passes, and that any decision on using Question 18 funds would be made later after a careful review.

Because of a glitch in the agenda, Carson City supervisors Thursday weren't able to approve the new senior season pass, but appeared to support the proposal.

Mark Sattler, chairman of the Carson City Municipal Golf Corp., told supervisors that course officials originally reconsidered all passes but opted for a senior pass on the East Course only.

The senior season pass will cost $800 for a single golfer over 62 and can be used Monday through Friday. It will cost $1,200 for a couple, one of which must be over the age of 62. The new passes will be available in January. Current season passes are good until April 30, 2001.

"Not everybody is going to be happy with the way things turn out," Masayko said.

The golf course recently restructured and raised its rates in an attempt to corral some extra money for improvements on the courses. The unlimited season pass was cut from the course's new rates as a way to try to control plunging profits at the golf course.

Golf officials have said unlimited pass play on both the East and West courses has resulted in a loss of revenue the course can no longer afford.

City supervisors in September approved the rate restructuring for the financially strapped golf course, but asked golf officials to salvage the pass in some form after golfers, most of them seniors, complained about the loss of the pass.