City investment in Trailhead dates back over two decades

By Craig Howard Splash Contributing Editor

The multi-million-dollar makeover of the Trailhead at Liberty Lake clubhouse and pro shop will officially go from construction phase to grand opening soiree this month.

Just over 20 years ago, the future of the golf course itself appeared as uncertain as a nine-iron from prickly rough.

The long-awaited renovation represents the latest chapter in the city of Liberty Lake’s investment in a venue that opened in 1973 as Valley View Golf Course. The Schneidmiller family built the site and served as owners until 1984 when the deed transferred to Golf Pro Dennis Reger who drew up the original designs for the 63-acre, nine-hole executive course.

Reger’s father, Austin – who began as the head pro at Liberty Lake Golf Course in 1958 – first approached Elmer Schneidmiller about converting land where Trailhead now stands into a practice facility.

When Dennis Reger made it known in 2002 that Valley View was on the market, Steve Peterson –then mayor of recently incorporated Liberty Lake – stepped up to the tee.

“At that time, I looked at it as an opportunity for the city to purchase a piece of property, get a fair deal and preserve greenspace in the city,” Peterson recalls.

For a city that had incorporated only a year earlier, the idea of buying a golf course seemed risky to some.

Peterson saw the potential purchase from several angles, including “the basis for a parks department” and the securing of water rights that came with the land.

“At the time, we didn’t even own a lawnmower,” Peterson said.

As the city expressed interest, talk also began to swirl that the property could be converted to a commercial or residential use by private developers.

“Just the fact that we could ensure that it would remain greenspace on that corner was important to us,” said Judi Owens, member of the inaugural City Council that approved the acquisition. “We also knew we could generate income from the course over the long haul.”

Peterson is convinced that if the city had not stepped up to retain the acreage as a golf venue, “it would have been gone.”

The city agreed to buy Valley View for $2.4 million, a sum that Peterson called a “great price.” When the bank note was finally retired in August of 2017, the value of the property had soared to $5 million.

After the purchase was official and the name was changed from Valley View to Trailhead, Peterson introduced the concept of a 5-percent admissions fee that would apply at the course as well as the city’s two 18-hole sites – Meadowwood and Liberty Lake – and be utilized for beautification throughout Liberty Lake. The proposal didn’t initially sit well with many in the golfing community.

At one point, Peterson used an object lesson to illustrate the relative cost of the admissions fee compared to the myriad of driving range balls that are lost each year. The visual aid featured two 5-gallon buckets of balls collected by the mayor that had strayed from the practice area.

“I said we’re not taking this fee and wasting it like these driving range balls that I think were 75 cents apiece at the time,” Peterson said. “We’re putting it back into the course, our parks and trails.”

A year after Peterson proposed the fee, it was approved by council.

Over the years, Trailhead has proved to be a reliable revenue source, keyed by a driving range that operates year-round. In 2019, gross income from the course checked in at $645,000. In February 2005, one of the warmest winter months on record, Trailhead raked in $25,000.

Before she left Liberty Lake to work for the city of Cheney in 2007, Finance Director Arlene Fisher called the purchase of the golf course “one of the best investments the city has ever made.”

See TRAILHEAD, Page 6