Stillwater, the proposed golf course community south of Silt proper, is a short putt away from approval.

The Silt Board of Trustees reviewed Stillwater’s first phase Monday night, and town planner Janet Steinbach said the outstanding issues are minor.

“The basic agreement is done,” Steinbach.

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Dennis Carruth, a Stillwater partner, said, “I definitely expect final plat approval for phase one on Nov. 12.”

Also at Monday night’s trustees meeting, Rick Aluise was named town administrator, and Sheila McIntyre town clerk.

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Stillwater was first proposed in 1995. The application calls for three phases on 1,470 acres, with completion targeted for 2011.

The first phase, Meadowood Village, will be on 502 acres, and include 75 to 162 attainably prices housing units, 374 free-market homesites, an 18-hole public golf course, a community sports and recreation center, a wastewater treatment plant built jointly with the town of Silt, elementary and middle schools, plus parks, trails and natural open space.

“I think it will be a very positive thing for Silt,” said Glenn Ault, a Silt developer who is also chairman of the Silt Revitalization Committee.

For one thing, Ault said, the golf course will bring people to town, where they are expected to shop and eat out.

Ault said Stillwater should also help his own 52,000-square-foot commercial project on Main Street get back on track. “I expect to proceed real soon … in about 30 days,” Ault said.

Ault announced plans for his Main Street Plaza last year. “But I backed off to wait for the economy to improve,” he said Tuesday.

Carruth said he expects homesites in Stillwater’s first phase to sell for $60,000 to $100,000, and finished homes for $250,000 to $450,000. He hasn’t set prices for the attainably priced units.

Carruth said his firm hasn’t decided whether to build homes itself or leave that to other contractors. “But there will definitely be opportunities for other builders,” he said.

The entire Stillwater project calls for two golf courses, 718 homesites, 480 upscale residential units plus the 75 to 162 attainably priced housing units.

Another golf course community, Lakota Canyon Ranch, is working its way through New Castle’s review process.

Carruth said Stillwater and Lakota Canyon Ranch might be competitors, or they could create synergy between themselves.

Explaining the notion of synergy, Carruth said two golf course communities located near each other will create more awareness from potential buyers. He compared the Stillwater and Lakota’s locations to restaurants clustered to attract diners to a specific part of town.

“So Lakota might help us, not hurt us,” Carruth said.

Carruth said he hopes to break ground on Stillwater next spring.

SWD LLC is comprised of members of the Littleton-based Carruth Properties Company, plus Thunder River Development, and a Littleton firm called CSCCN, Carruth said. The principal partners in SWD LLC are Carruth and Ed Sutton, who works out of a Littleton office.

Carruth, and his wife, Penney, live on Missouri Heights north of Carbondale.

New town staff

Rick Aluise, Silt’s new town administrator, was the town clerk for several months before the trustees appointed him to his new position Monday night.

“He was the most qualified candidate,” said Silt Mayor Pro Tem Tod Tibbetts. “He has a good vision for what Silt needs.”

Aluise said his first priorities include work on a new wastewater treatment plant, planning for a new water plant and building Silt’s sales tax base. There are also several annexation applications pending.

Aluise, 47, is the former town manager/clerk for Wellington, located north of Fort Collins. He owned several businesses in the Denver area before going to work for Wellington. His mom is originally from Silt, and his father from Rifle.

Craig Ohlson, Silt’s former administrator, resigned last summer for personal reasons.

McIntyre, the new town clerk, grew up on a farm in Nebraska, and worked in Silt’s planning office for three years. She was previously employed in the private sector, and is a former manager of inventory control and payroll at The Fort restaurant in the Denver area.