Maple Valley is looking for a few good women and men to form a golf course task force.

The clock is ticking on a number of issues surrounding the Lake Wilderness Golf Course that will need to be settled, according to city officials.

The city purchased the course in November 2006 for about $4.5 million.

City Manager David Johnston told the City Council members at the Monday, April 5 study session the contract with the Seattle-based Premier Golf Center, the company that operates the course, expires Dec. 31.

Johnston said the first issue concerning the course was to decide whether to renew the contract with Premier or send out a request for proposals to consider hiring another firm.

The city manager asked the council to appoint an eight-member golf course task force to look at the issues concerning the course and its operation and to hire a “qualified facilitator” for the committee.

Johnston recommended two members of the task force come from Lake Wilderness Homeowners Association Board of Directors and two members who are golfers. One of the golfers would live inside the city of Maple Valley and one outside.

The other four would be at large members who live in the city.

Johnston said he is looking for a focused, working task force that can provide the council with recommendations by August.

Some of the questions the task force will consider is whether to keep the course or sell it, and a proposal for a local improvement district, which would share costs between the city and residents living on the course.

“Since I’ve been here I’ve heard the city spent too much for the golf course,” Johnston said. “What you bought was developable property. You didn’t buy a golf course. You bought developable property you are choosing to use as a golf course. You didn’t pay too much.”

Anyone interested in applying to be a member of the task force can go to the city’s Web site or City Hall, 22017 SE Wax Road, Suite 200.