PELHAM – A storm drainage project at Ballantrae Golf Club will require one hole on the golf course to be closed for a few months, according to Ballantrae General Manager Hal Brown.

Brown said the storm water drainage system at hole 18 will soon be replaced. At a Pelham City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 14, the council approved a $277,975 bid for the project from Birmingham-based Norris Paving and Asphalt Inc.

Brown said 11 companies placed a bid on the project. The winning bid was much less than the engineering estimate of $488,250.

This project will replace about 900 feet of storm sewer ranging from 42 inches in diameter up to 54 inches in diameter. The existing storm sewer runs down the center of the 18^th fairway and was installed when the course was built.

The existing pipe is corrugated plastic pipe that has failed and is collapsed in some places. The replacement pipe will be reinforced concrete pipe, which is expected to have a much longer service life. Brown said the project is expected to begin by Feb. 1 and completed by mid- to late-May.

“This project is taking place during our slow season,” Brown said. “The goal is to have it back open by the time our peak season begins.”

Brown said this is the first time since the facility was constructed that the city has had to fully replace storm water drainage pipes.

While hole 18 is closed, Brown said it will be changing from a par 4 to a par 5 to make the hole easier and more fun to play. Changes will also be made to hole 11, which will go from a par 5 to a par 4 to help speed up the pace of play for customers. New tee boxes will also be added to holes 11 and 18.

“This is something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time and we decided that now would be the best time to make those changes,” Brown said.

Construction work at the golf course will not impact playing. A small discount will be given to customers since they will be playing 17 holes instead of 18.

At the meeting, the council also approved an ordinance requiring anyone wishing to engage in the installation or maintenance of power lines, water lines, cables, conduits or any other devices or structure that necessitates construction within a city right of way or easement to first obtain a permit from the city.

The ordinance serves as an accountability measure so that the city knows whenever there’s work being done on a right of way. It’s also an opportunity to ensure proper licensing and to make sure that businesses are held accountable for any damages or improper installations.

In other business, the council:

-Approved a request by Verizon for a small wireless facility located at 500 Amphitheater Road.

– Approved a request by Verizon for a small wireless facility located at 120 Bishop Circle.

-Accepted the lowest qualified bid of $40,345 for an expansion and addition to the city’s existing Dell Compellent Storage.

-Announced that the start date for the city’s vehicle repair and maintenance partnership with Hoover has changed from Feb. 1 to March 1. In December, the cities agreed to enter into a five-year inter-local agreement for the purpose of contracting services for the maintenance and repair of all Pelham vehicles.