LYNN — Gannon Municipal Golf Course has started the installation of a new $2.5 million irrigation system.
“It is very exciting, something that is very necessary,” said Stephen Murphy, co-owner of Golf Facilities Management Inc., which leases Gannon from the city. “Wall-to-wall irrigation over there is going to make the golf course look beautiful.”
The George E. Ley Company, a Pennsylvania-based golf course construction company, is installing the system. They are currently working on the main line, Murphy said. It is a six-inch, high-density polyethylene pipe that will be going down the side of a fairway.
The main line has already been installed on 10th and 11th holes. The contractor was working on the 12th hole last Friday.
“Hopefully, we are on pace to finish it this fall and turn it on in the spring,” said Murphy, who has been working at the golf club for almost 45 years.
The current irrigation system at Gannon is more than 50 years old. The City Council voted unanimously in July to authorize a $2.5 million bond to pay for the installation of the new irrigation system.
The city’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Bertino said in July that it made sense to borrow the money needed for the irrigation system and make the payments back over time while the golf course’s revolving fund would be used for improvements at Gannon, such as repainting the buildings, improving the grounds and revamping the parking lot as well as for emergencies.
Alena Kuzub can be reached at [email protected].
