Three years after severe flooding damaged Meadowbrook Golf Club, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is proceeding with repairs in hopes of reopening the course in late summer.
The project includes repairs to sand traps, irrigation, cart paths, a trail and lakeshore. Park officials have hired Duininck Inc. for $474,500 to fix up the course. More than half the funding is coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"Golf is a wonderful game," said Matt Just, the Park Board's new golf director. "We are bringing that back to this community."
Unlike the Hiawatha Golf Club, which was kept open as a nine-hole course after the rainstorms struck in 2014, the Minneapolis-owned Meadowbrook course in Hopkins has been closed since then.
Golfers have sent letters to the Park Board asking why the project is lagging.
"We are taking a long time because we're diligent in following the FEMA guidelines," Just said. "We're responsible for taxpayers' dollars and this project has to be done right."
After a critical federal audit, the Park Board changed its bidding process to search nationally for contractors, add language to the contract and review the scope of the work.
The audit released March 16 by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General said the Park Board failed to follow federal guidelines when it spent a portion of the $8.4 million it received from FEMA.
The Park Board has set aside money to cover the reconstruction of the Meadowbrook clubhouse and other facilities, but that work isn't scheduled yet.
In the meantime, park staff will operate the course from a temporary trailer.
Since the golf course's closure, people have used the area for mountain biking and running, but the Park Board is now asking the public to stay off the course during repairs.
In addition to Meadowbrook Golf Club, the Park Board operates three other courses outside the city limits. The others are Theodore Wirth in Golden Valley, Gross National Golf Club in St. Anthony and Fort Snelling Golf Club.
Faiza Mahamud • 612-673-4203
