Story Published:
Jul 21, 2010 at 10:06 PM MST
Story Updated:
Jul 22, 2010 at 1:45 PM MST
BILLINGS - Members of a grassroots effort to save disc golf have only a few more days before the Billings City Council will decide its fate. People on both sides of the issue said that compromise seems to be the key.
Billings resident Liz Welch said she was shocked when the city council voted unanimously to reconsider disc golf in Pioneer Park. "We're not counting this as a win by any means, because it's not," said Welch. "It's purely taking us back to a zero start."
Since that meeting Welch, along with dozens of others, have been hard at work trying to meet the demands of the city council.
"They're looking for consistency, they're looking for involvement, they're looking for a compromise and we've met pretty much everything they wanted," said Welch.
It is compromise Councilmember Vince Ruegamer has been searching for since day one. "If we just said go start your own venue, we will let you stay in Pioneer Park, would they start?" asked Ruegamer. "I don't think so, we've seen this before. Everybody says yeah we'll fix it we'll do it. So they've got a year to show action, if they do it right back to Pioneer Park they can go."
"The no vote for disc golf last month was probably the single biggest energizing factor in bringing disc golfers together as a cohesive unit," said Jim Rott. Rott is the founder of Air-fair-ways and said he has been trying for more than a decade to bring the disc golf community together. They are currently in the process of forming a non-profit organization.
The group will also propose that the council adopt the Pioneer Park master plan in its original entirety. Under that plan the current course in Pioneer Park would be reduced from 12 to 9 holes and would be closed for a portion of the year for winterization and to allow grass and trees to grow back. The plan also calls for the development of more disc golf courses throughout the city. Councilmember Ruegamer said one of those locations could be at Coulson Park. Located along the Yellowstone River, it has more than 50 acres of usable space. However, in order for it to be an adequate disc golf course crews would have to plant grass and trees.
"It needs to be developed, they can build terrain, they can do whatever they want out there and it would be an improvement to the park and to the interest of the city," said Ruegamer.
Before a new course can be built both sides of the issue must come together and decide if the existing one can stay.
"I think everybody has got some ideas, I know some Councilmembers aren't crazy about disc golf, some are supportive of it. I'm in the middle, I love sports, I play all kinds of sports. I want them to have a place, to have several places to play and it's important, its exercise and its great," said Ruegamer. "I sure hope they recognize the effort that we've put into it so far, because there has been a lot of effort," said Rott.
The city council will vote on whether disc golf should stay Monday at 6:00. It is unclear at this point exactly which way that vote will go.
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