Odessa Golf Course finds buyer, plus more good news for town

The Odessa Town Council and visitors present at the meeting Monday evening, April 22, were treated to a very pleasant surprise by Odessa resident Jackie (Jax) Allen. She reported that the Odessa Golf Course had been purchased Monday by her brother-in-law Jim McCullar of Soap Lake.

McCullar and his wife Carolyn, both in their 60s, were winners of the Mega Millions lottery in January of 2011. They split their winnings with an Idaho resident and took home $190 million, half of the second-largest jackpot in history in the U.S.

According to Jax Allen, they have been investing in Soap Lake and trying to revitalize the town. When she told them that Odessa’s golf course was soon to be put on the auction block after owner Gary Valenta was unable to find a buyer through normal real estate channels, they agreed to buy the property. Included in the sale were Valenta’s home and the RV Park adjacent to the golf course.

Future steps in the new life of the golf course will be determined during public meetings to be held over the next few months. The course will be open for the coming season, with minimal updates made to clubhouse, said Allen. Next fall, she said, a more substantial overhaul will likely take place.

Mayor Doug Plinski and the council members present expressed that they were surprised but very pleased at the news.

IEO – new lease on life?

There was more good news Monday, as Plinski announced that the latest ruling by the bankruptcy court in Spokane would allow the Odessa Public Development Authority to lease the existing plant to another operator that it finds to be suitable. The OPDA will be accepting bids and hopes to get the plant back in operation as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the bankruptcy court will continue its investigation into the financial activities of the previous operators.

When contacted by The Record, OPDA member Todd King said that he and the rest of the OPDA were pleased with the court’s ruling that the plant and its equipment assets were the property of the OPDA and had only been leased to 1138, LLC, the company owned by Joel Edmonds, Wally Kempe and others that declared bankruptcy and closed the plant in December 2012.

King said the OPDA will be evaluating three or four companies desiring to lease the facility, trying to determine which might have the best chance for success.

Meat processing plant

The meat processing facility being built by a consortium of area livestock interests at the Odessa Industrial Park has begun hiring personnel, Plinski said. Office staff members and a head butcher have been offered jobs and are gearing up to start once the building is completed. At full capacity the plant is expected to employ about 20 to 25 people.

Fire/Police

There was no fire department report. Police chief Helen Coubra said that her office has seen more cases lately, possibly due to warmer weather bringing more people out of doors and into conflict with one another.

Public Works

PW director Rod Webster reported that the spring clean-up effort was successful. His department has also been adding gravel and grading the alleys throughout the town, evening out some very rough and pothole-strewn areas. The department has also been spraying weeds, Webster said, adding that he thinks this will be a bad year for weeds.

Lifeguards needed

Council member Lois Harp of the pool committee has received some applications for life-guard jobs this coming summer, but she does not yet have enough. Those who applied last year but were not hired because there were too many applicants are being urged to apply again this year.

Field trip to treatment plant

After the conclusion of the meeting, council members and guests were invited to accompany Webster and Plinski to Odessa’s waste water treatment plant for a tour. The plant has undergone a general cleanup over the past few months. The latest projects accomplished include hauling in and spreading gravel in the parking areas around the plant, painting of the concrete floor in the plant’s laboratory area and more frequent cleaning of the filters and sludge collection areas.