Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008

W. Richland Golf Course clubhouse burns down (w/ photo galleries)

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer

WEST RICHLAND -- The West Richland Municipal Golf Course clubhouse fell to flames Tuesday morning, leaving its owner with charred rubble and no explanation for the blaze.

Michelle Marcum's 20-year dream to improve and own the golf course turned to ashes and an estimated $1 million loss.

"It was all fine when I left last night," said Marcum as she surveyed the ruins of the newly remodeled clubhouse.

The blaze cancels plans for tonight's New Year's Eve party because there are no other facilities for the party.

Marcum, who bought the course two years ago after leasing it since 1989, said she has no idea what caused the blaze that destroyed the 4,300-square-foot, two-story building at 4300 Fallon Drive.

She said the building was insured, and she plans to rebuild the business, which employs about two dozen people.

West Richland Mayor Dale Jackson said he hopes the fire doesn't put Marcum out of business. He said the golf course, which includes a restaurant and pro shop that are open year-round, is a big part of the city's economic development plan and sales tax base.

Firefighters from Benton County fire districts 2 and 4, and the Hanford and Richland fire departments battled the flames for more than three hours.

No one was in the building when the fire broke out, said Marcum, but three firefighters were hurt while working in the icy conditions. Two fell and one hurt his eye, said Fire Chief Mike Spring.

The fire apparently started early in the morning. Marcum said Susana Flores of Kennewick, who is a cook and waitress at the golf course, discovered the fire when she arrived for work about 6:30 a.m.

"The building looked fine from the outside, but when she opened the front door smoke rolled out," Marcum told the Herald. "No flames were visible at that time."

But by the time firefighters came a few minutes later, flames were shooting through the roof near the kitchen and bar, Spring said.

It was too late to attack from inside the building, he said, so firefighters concentrated on knocking the fire down from the outside.

"There was plenty of ice to fall on. We had to shut off propane, and there was danger from collapsing walls and roof," the chief said.

The pro shop, bar, kitchen, dining room and lower level, with all the contents, including newly purchased appliances, were lost in the fire.

The oldest part of the wood-framed building dated back to the '50s, he said.

"(The loss) could be $1 million or more. It's really sad. (Marcum) has a big following in the community," Spring said.

He said the cause won't be known until after a full investigation.

The disaster comes after the building underwent a major interior renovation this year.

"We did a lot of new construction inside to bring the building up to code," Marcum said. "We just put in a new fire-suppression system over the top of our grill."

Marcum has struggled in recent years to make the golf course a personal success.

After leasing the facilities from the city of West Richland for 17 years, she fought and won the right to buy it in late 2006.

Marcum survived two years of legal wrangling and a threat of eviction from the city before the city council accepted her bid of $1.75 million.

Taking ownership was an emotional high for Marcum because it meant she could pursue the dream her late husband had when he first saw the weed-infested golf course in 1988.

Her efforts to make the dream come true despite years of beating back tackweed and the annual threat of flooding from the Yakima River earned her the Herb Ganz Community Spirit Award in 2007.