Water off — again — at Silverstone golf course

The rolling greens of the dormant Silverstone golf course are beginning to turn brown — again.

And the residents in homes surrounding the course aren’t happy.

Resident Patrick Spilotro — whose home overlooks holes 5, 6, 7 and 8 — said he hasn’t seen workers on the course for more than two weeks, dead spots are reappearing, and “no trespassing” signs are up.

“These guys turned into Casper,” Spilotro said, referring to the famous animated friendly ghost.

Attorney Timothy Elson, who represents the Silverstone Ranch Community Association, filed a motion Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking an expedited hearing to address the issue of appointing a Chapter 11 trustee — a neutral third party that would take over the golf course. A hearing date is set for July 6.

“I’m hoping the courts can act quickly so that we can get a trustee appointed,” Elson said. “And with assistance from the trustee, we can restore water to the golf course.”

Court filings say that waiting until July 6 to make that determination would be “catastrophic.”

“By July 6th, the golf course will be dead without water,” he said. “We’re asking for an emergency hearing to address the watering of the golf course.”

In a declaration supporting the motion, Paradigm Golf Group CEO Michael Abee said once grass on the property is dead, the cost to replace the property to a 27-hole operational golf course likely will exceed $3 million.

According to an email from Stoneridge Parkway LLC counsel Matthew Abbasi to Elson, the water was shut down because of lack of funds in the expense account to pay electricity. The email said Stoneridge Parkway, the course’s new owner, did not request a shutdown.

In late December, Desert Lifestyles LLC notified the plaintiffs that it had sold the golf course to Stoneridge Parkway, which then filed for bankruptcy.

Elson believes that under a trustee’s watch, the water would not have been turned off.

“We believe Stoneridge is mismanaging the property and pursuing its own goals as opposed to what’s best for the bankruptcy estate, which would include redeveloping the golf course,” Elson said.

This reality does not bode well for Spilotro, his 80-year-old mother, Marie, and their 16-year-old Yorkshire terrier.

“They want to put up 350 houses,” Spilotro said. “It ruins everything for us.”

Spilotro said he purchased his home 10 years ago in the 272-acre planned community and paid a $70,000 premium for a golf course view.

“I don’t golf,” he said. “I bought this for open space. I don’t want houses. I don’t want my view blocked. I specifically picked this home for the half-mile view I got. I’m in this house for $565,000 — cash. I don’t have a loan, I can’t walk away from this. I’d take a loss.”

Resident Melanie Hill expressed similar sentiments.

“I’m so underwater in my house,” she said. “Our property values are going down on a daily basis without it being an operating golf course. My fear is that it will turn completely dead.”

In Spilotro’s opinion, there is a simple answer.

“The only solution that’s going to work out, once we get done with all of the legal gymnastics, is we can get together as a community, and we can make a bid, and we can buy this golf course,” he said. “We can reopen it as a golf course. Then, and only then, if it fails, we can decide what to do with it.”

The issue first landed in court after Desert Lifestyles purchased the property on Sept. 1, shut down the golf club and turned off the water.

In November, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that forced Desert Lifestyles to restore the property to the condition it was in when the company purchased it, but the subsequent owner’s decision to seek Chapter 11 protection placed an automatic stay on actions related to the property.

The city of Las Vegas is holding a public hearing at 9 a.m. June 1 to consider assessing daily civil penalties of $4,500, or $750 per parcel, against Stoneridge Parkway for a lack of maintenance.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Find @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.