The Pump House at Miller Park may look the same on the outside but looks can be deceiving. The inside was completely overhauled with the original 40-plus year old equipment removed and new equipment installed to control the irrigatrion system.
“It’s nice and it was long overdue,” said Sanborn Golf Board president Doug Elgersma.
Elgersma noted that only one of the three original pumps was still working and something needed to be done. He feels greenskeeper Kevin Koerselman should probably get the most credit because he pursued this.
“He kind of got the ball rolling,” said Elgersma. “We had a company come and look everything over and give us an estimate of what we needed to do to get it up to snuff, because if that one pump goes down we’re done. We don’t have a golf course because that’s the water for the park and everywhere out there.”
The Golf Board presented the matter to the City Council with several different funding plans if needed. “It was our belief that it’s a city-owned building and city-owned pumps and really the City should finance it but we were ready to try to finance it if we had to through community fundraisers or whatever. After a few hours of that, of and on, the Council agreed to fund it.”
Volunteers were instrumental in carrying out the project. Last fall the volunteers took all the old equipment out through the roof. The company came in and measured as to how they were going to place things. “The company that sold us the equipment sent a crew to install it (again through the roof) with the help of a couple of volunteers,” explained Elgersma. “Kevin volunteered his time to help and it’s good for him to be a part of installing it because he’s going to run it. When they go online with it in April, the company will come back and train him further on how to make sure it’s all functioning. There was a lot involved in that, trying to make the old system adapt to what’s new. It will be more efficient.”
The project was undertaken in November after the irrigation system was blown out in November. “The electricians are going to come back and hook everything up again and there’s a small plumbing project but basically, come April when it’s time to be turned on, we’ll be ready to go,” explained Elgersma.

The Two New Pumps

Old Equipment Was Torn Down

Voluteers Removed

A new large computerized control box is hooked up to all of the sprinkler heads. “The irrigation system is all over 40 years old too so we have a lot of leaks every spring and summer,” said Elgersma. “This might help prolong the life of it because the way the old system was, when it kicked on it was pressure right away and with this one it gradually builds up.”
Only two new pumps were required to do the work that the three original pumps were doing. “We’re probably still going to rebuild one our old pumps if we can, just to have a spare,” Elgersma said.
“I want to reiterate that it’s the City’s property,” reminded Elgersma. “The Golf Board just pushed them to do it. If we didn’t have that irrigation system we wouldn’t have a golf course because the greens need water every day. Miller Park uses it. The ball diamonds use it. The water that is in the ponds has to be diverted somewhere.”