Will golf continue? Will Calaveras County zoning codes put a stop to it? Those are just two of the questions hanging over the beautiful but unpermitted Trinitas golf course on 280 acres south of Wallace. In the fall, Trinitas owners Mike and Michelle Nemee lost a trial in U.S. Bankruptcy Court over whether golf was a legal form of agritourism, and thus permitted on the ranch land the Nemees own. Now, the Nemees are appealing to U.S. District Court. That appeal could continue at least until a hearing in July. But whether golf continues depends on several court dates that come sooner. On Feb. 9, a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge will consider allowing Community Bank of San Joaquin to seize the Trinitas property and sell it at auction on Feb. 17. The legal advertisements for that sale have already run. On Feb. 13, the Nemees and representatives of Calaveras County are scheduled to meet for a settlement conference in U.S. District Court in Fresno. In theory, the two sides could settle their differences without a trial, although that might seem unlikely to those who’ve watched the county and the Nemees battle over this for years. If the course is not auctioned on Feb. 17, then golf could continue at least until Feb. 21 when the U.S. District Court in Fresno will have a hearing on whether to stay enforcement of the Bankruptcy Court agritourism verdict pending appeal in the District Court. Calaveras County’s Board of Supervisors, meanwhile, will have a closed-door session discussing all this litigation at 8 a.m. tomorrow (Feb. 1) in the county counsel’s chambers. The public does have an opportunity to comment on the matter before the closed session portion of the meeting begins.
