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Golfers face new hazard: sinkholesBy JAMIE JONES, Times Staff Writer© St. Petersburg Times published June 21, 2002 SPRING HILL -- Sinkholes opened near the 13th hole of the Seven Hills Golf Club this week and another was discovered at a Spring Hill home on Thursday, bringing the number of properties with fresh sinkholes to nine, county officials said. County public works officers arrived at the golf course off Mariner Boulevard on Thursday to examine the sinkholes -- three large ones and as many as 12 smaller ones -- in a drainage retention area near the 13th hole, said Ralph Wirsching of the county Department of Public Works. The golf course has had problems with sinkholes for at least 10 years, Wirsching said. The course's 13th hole borders a drainage area owned by the county, he said. He will work with the club to fix the problem, Wirsching said, and a manager has agreed to shut down the 13th hole for repair work. He does not yet know when work will begin. He said several sinkholes are about 12 to 14 feet in diameter and the smaller holes are about 6 to 7 feet deep. They are near Venetia Drive in Seven Hills, he said. Wirsching said golfers could still walk the course because they can play without nearing the sinkholes, which are marked by yellow tape. Seven Hills manager Jim Kahanyshyn refused to comment Thursday. Other sinkholes in Spring Hill have gotten slightly bigger or are stabilizing, said Brenda Frazier, county spokeswoman. The county's Emergency Management staff checked out seven new reports of sinkholes and confirmed a new one on Mandrell Avenue near Linden Drive on Thursday. The hole, close to the house, is about 1 foot across and 6 feet deep, Frazier said. Other than that, the situation remained mostly stable, said Annette Doying of the county's Emergency Management Department. "Nothing remarkable has happened," she said. The Southwest Florida Water Management District has asked the county to present a plan for refilling the sinkholes in drainage retention areas, which the county is working on, Frazier said. Work may begin next week if the land is stable, she said.
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