Banks Lake Golf Course will be sold to Colville Tribes for $1.2 million

After a process going back more than two years, the Banks Lake Golf Course will soon be owned and operated by descendents of the area's original people: the Colville Confederated Tribes.

Grant County Port District #7 Commissioners quickly voted to approve moving forward with the $1.2 million purchase and sale agreement after Commission Chair Jim Keene gave a presentation on the negotiations and terms at a June 11 Port Commission meeting. It was the only item on the agenda.

"I'll just say that they were very thorough and diligent in their analysis of our properties and our operation," Keene said in his report. "They hired outside consultants to do a market analysis, and to do an environmental assessment of the property. They were effective and solid negotiators when it came to the negotiation process, but clearly looking out for the long-term interest of the area and of the course."

"It's a thrill to be actually bringing a solution for the community that we think will...sustain the service, and even enhance it, and expand the opportunity," Keene added.

Keene's enthusiasm for closing the deal was hard to miss, even though the meeting was held via a dial-in conference line, without the benefit of video. 

Since the two golf course parcels were declared surplus by the Port Commission in May 2022, four or five interested parties had come forward, with some making multiple visits to the golf course, Keene said. In the end, the Colville Confederated Tribes was the only one to make a formal offer. 

Colville Business Council Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson did not return a request for comment from The Star on Tuesday night, but Keene said he understands a press conference is in the works.

The price tag is below the assessed value of $1.7 million, according to Keene, but he said there were several "complexities" and "obstacles" related to pricing the transaction. 

Among them: Four of the course's holes are, at least in part, on Bureau of Reclamation land, which will require a renewed long-term use agreement. Additionally, water rights will have to be re-negotiated with the Bureau in order to continue to irrigate the course.

"We feel that the figure that was arrived at was a fair price for both parties," Keene said. "And also: We're in the corner of the buyer to be involved in a successful venture taking over the operation and ownership of the course. We're both advocates for the course and we're advocates for the Tribes in taking over that operation. So we're pleased if it's seen as a good deal from their perspective."

In a phone conversation after the meeting, Keene said it is his "full understanding" that the Tribes plan to upgrade the course and the clubhouse - going on 40 years old - and that they have other development planned for the property as well, which he could not speak to. 

The formal transfer of ownership will take place at a future date.