Teec tees up for ‘Hole in Juan’ development
With the San Juan River on the north, an artist’s drawing shows the "Hole in Juan" Golf Course and RV resort, The golf course is in green and the proposed RV spaces in yellow. The clubhouse area is in red with maintenance facilities on orange. [courtesy art]

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

TEEC NOS POS— Jeanne Rizzotto has heard all about fast-talking bilagaanas coming to Navajoland, using Navajo startup money to create businesses, and then skipping out, leaving the Nation holding the bag. It’s a handicap, but one she hopes to overcome.

Rizzotto, owner of Century 21 in Red Lodge, Mont., received permission last week from Teec Nos Pos Chapter grazing permit holders and families to use 401 acres along the San Juan River for development of the “Hole in Juan” RV Resort, a Robert Trent Jones II 18-hole championship golf course and upscale recreational vehicle park.

“They always ask me, why am I doing this?” Rizzotto said, and launched into an explanation of the U.S. court system. “I told them, ‘I don’t know if you know our system, but we have a jury of 12. Why they have it is they believe that out of every 100 people, one of them is innocent. You know what? I’m number 100. And if you don’t take advantage of me, you’re going to have to meet another 99 people. So come on you guys — take advantage of me. I’m a nice person.’”

She invited them to Google her, brought them her financials and performas, told them how much money she’s worth, and offered to provide a bank letter of credit for $50 million to assure funds for the project.

Teec Nos Pos Delegate Francis Redhouse said Rizzotto and staff met with the families of Dick and Ella Shorthair and walked the designated areas.

“She has committed to use her own money in the development, will provide training for personnel, and even assist in the development of the Five Management Plan System for Teec Nos Pos Chapter for certification,” Redhouse said. “The community has been inspired and energized that finally economic development will happen in Teec Nos Pos. The projected revenue when the operation becomes a reality would be near $90 million and 10 percent shared revenue would be to Teec Nos Pos community,” he said.

Rizzotto studied 30 RV resorts in Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California before putting together her concept. She has been working with several chapters and plans to do at least a half-dozen RV resorts on the Navajo Nation.

“My goal is not only to implement the first RV resort in the United States with a Robert Trent Jones II golf course, but to also give back to the Nation and the community — something long overdue,” Rizzotto said.

Her company, Of Course RV Resort LLC, is expected to break ground April 1 on a nine-hole golf course and resort in Red Lodge for owners of high-end recreational vehicles.

“I have 522 lots proposed. We already have 203 buyers right now, pending their review and approval of the lease,” she said. “Of Course lots are 50 feet by 60 feet for the park models or RV, and then Port Homes — that have a park model and an RV on it — are 60 by 75,” she said. The park models resemble log cabins and the lots range from $129,900 to $399,900. This includes a 99-year lease.

“At Hole in Juan, the park models will look like hogans. And we’re putting up a 50,000-square-foot-building for Teec Nos Pos to build them. They don’t have to just sell them to us, they can sell them to anyone in any other state.”

Because there is more space at Hole in Juan than at the Montana resort, the lots will range from 50 feet by 75 feet to 75-by-75.

Rizzotto has made a presentation to Cameron Chapter for a second site, Canyon ParForFore, to be located about 15 miles from the entrance to the Grand Canyon.

While some may be skeptical of building a golf course in the middle of the desert, Rizzotto is unfazed.

“There are so many systems you can use and make whatever you have available work. These landscape guys that actually do golf courses say that if you have a water issue, ‘we just need to know what it is and then we’ll make the golf course work for you,’” such as through use of storage tanks and drip systems.

During the four months of the year when golf courses typically are closed, the water would be stored. “Or they do reservoirs and they put tops on them, so your ponds are actually reservoirs. You don’t want the water you have to evaporate, so you put the tops on them for long periods of time so you don’t lose any water.”

With the Cameron proposal, there are several options, including taking water from the gorge. However, Rizzotto said, there are so many minerals in it, it kills the grass. “It’s a very expensive process, but there is osmosis which takes the minerals out and you can use the water.

“No matter what you do, it’s all going to cost money. There was a well test done there a while back. They had to go 6,000 feet. So it costs you $500,000 for a well instead of $20,000.” Another option is to pull it up from the aquifer in Tuba City and run water lines. “One of the reasons I like that idea is because once it goes through there at my expense, anyone can hook up to it,” she said.

Delegate Evelyn Acothley, who represents Cameron Chapter, said, “We’re still talking about it. The community really doesn’t trust anyone. They just want to make sure these are the right people to work with.

“The problem we have is we don’t have the quality of water, and electricity is another issue. They said, ‘We’ll help you get it. We have the money.’ So the benefit for the community is there, but the people want to make sure they trust Jeanne’s organization. They want to get to know them first before they say yes to anything,” Acothley said.