With city council preferring to keep initial discussions behind closed doors, those passionate about keeping the Pine Valley golf course are using every public avenue they can to have their opinion heard.
Tomorrow, Friends of Pine Valley - representing all of the facility's user groups - host a 6 p.m. rally at the golf course in a bid to voice their concerns over the land's potential sale.
Organizer Don Chamberlain has come before council twice to plead Pine Valley's case since the KPMG core services review final report identified a potential $14 million to $17 million in revenue from developing the land. Members of the group - representing juniors, seniors, school groups and Special Olympians - have also met privately with the mayor and members of council.
Fighting to save Pine Valley is not a new task for the group, which was established in 2007, the same time the city decided to put together the Golf Course - Pine Centre Neighbourhood Plan.
"The opportunity to redevelop the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, Pine Valley Golf Course and surrounding lands... became evident with the pine beetle infestation and its resulting destruction of most of the pine trees in this area between 2003 and today," wrote then-manager of long range planning Dan Milburn in a 2010 report to council.
Neighbourhood plans were noted to be "a more flexible tool than an OCP," since they are adopted by council resolution as opposed to a bylaw.
As a result of the neighbourhood planning process, "it became evident that the best way to address the original condition of council to provide an eighteen hole par three golf course was to retain the existing Pine Valley Golf Course at its current location," said a consultant report on the plan.
The community pulled together to rejuvenate the space, organizing a makeover which included planting thousands of trees and seedlings.
But the municipality should no longer be in the golf business, Mayor Shari Green has argued. From the outset, the mayor and others have questioned whether keeping the course makes sense now, given the looming $1.3 million in necessary capital upgrades and overall decline in the sport across North America.
Last year, the city approved a one-year contract extension with Pine Valley management and increased the user fees to try and offset some of the operational costs.
A 2012 report from the head of the city's recreation and cultural services outlined a decrease in revenues "due to the loss of the driving range and mature pine trees from the site, as well as an industry-wide reduction in golf participation."
In 2011, the course brought in roughly $259,000 in revenue, which meant the operator of the golf course wasn't paying any commission to the city.
The last time Friends of Pine Valley came before council in April, they were told the issue wasn't expected to come before council until June, but since it involves a possible real estate transaction, the first set of hearings will occur behind closed doors.
According to the Community Charter, a part of a council meeting or the whole meeting may be closed if it relates to "the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality."
