The closure of the 70-acre Westbrook course raises questions about the land’s future, and the city has some ideas.

The small but tight-knit group of dedicated members of Rivermeadow Golf Club in Westbrook were disappointed when they received a letter from club owners Bob and Judi Adam late last month.

The letter, dated Jan. 22, informed them that the community golf course would not be opening in 2016.

“After careful consideration, we have decided that we will not be opening the golf course for the 2016 season,” Adam wrote in the letter.

Rivermeadow is located on Lincoln Street, not far from downtown Westbrook. Much of the course runs along the northern side of the Presumpcot River, above Saccarappa Falls.

The closure of the 9-hole course, at nearly 70 acres, raises questions about the future of the land. Westbrook has seen a substantial uptick in commercial activity in the past few years, including the large Blue Spruce Farm subdivision now under construction off Spring Street.

Adam, who has owned the course for more than a decade, said in the letter that the course has been a source of great pleasure, but has also required a great amount of time, money and energy to keep going each season. He said he has been dealing with health issues, which played a part in the decision not to open this year.

“We will greatly miss the activities at the club and the support we have received over the years,” he said. “We heartily thank you for your friendship and loyalty.”

The Adams purchased the course in November 2003.

Adam said Tuesday that he and his wife have not yet decided on the parcel’s future, but he said the couple have considered putting it on the market.

“I’ve had discussions, but only in my immediate circle, which includes my wife,” he said Tuesday.

The couple live on Lincoln Street, just across from the 6th hole.

In his letter to members, Adam said, “no plans have been made for the future of the property.”

According to city records, the property is assessed at $934,900.

In the meantime, city officials are recognizing the significance of the potential open space. Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator for business and community relations, said Tuesday that he has reached out to Adam to discuss the property. He said the city is interested in protecting the land prior to a sale.

Baker said he would like the city to purchase the land and create a greenbelt trail down the river to the riverwalk, while turning the parcel into “open space and active recreation land with multiple uses.”

However, he said, discussions are in the preliminary stages, and any city purchase would require the support of the Westbrook Environmental Improvement Corp., the city’s Recreation and Conservation Commission and the City Council.

These entities collaborated this past fall when the city acquired 30 acres of open space adjacent to the existing City Forest, stemming from the Westbrook Community Center. It’s estimated that the land will produce an additional 15-20 miles of trails. However, the land was acquired for $150,000, considerably less than the assessed value of Rivermeadow.

According to Jennie Franceschi, the Westbrook city planner, the zoning for Rivermeadow is mostly Rural Development, with a small portion of it in Residential Growth Area 1.

City Councilor Mike Sanphy, who is also president of the Westbrook Historical Society, said the property has been operating as a golf course since at least the 1960s. He said prior to it being used as a course, he believes it was a farm and orchard at one time.

Sanphy said that while the acreage is large, much of the land is in the flood plain, which may deter certain development. But after the planned removal of the Saccarappa dams by Sappi Fine Paper next year, water levels are expected to lower by a few feet, reducing the flood threat.

Allen Hayman, the owner of Sunset Ridge Golf Links on Cumberland Street, said this week that he is offering discounted membership rates for past members of Rivermeadow.

“It saddens us to hear that our nearest neighbor, Rivermeadow Golf Course, is not opening for business this year,” Hayman said in a post on the Sunset Ridge Facebook page. “They have been a great participant in Westbrook golf and will be sorely missed.”

Hayman called golfers “fiercely loyal” and dedicated to their home course, but said that as the closest neighbor course to Rivermeadow, he felt compelled to reach out to the members.

“We hope that this will help alleviate some of their disappointment and help them find a new home,” he said Tuesday.

Sunset Ridge is offering $100 off each membership for past Rivermeadow members.

The last day the course was open was Oct. 31, 2015. This past week, a few Rivermeadow members discussed the closure.

Greg Marsters, a longtime member, said Tuesday that Rivermeadow was a comfortable place to play golf.

“It was an easy walking course with smallish greens and plenty of challenge if you get off the fairway,” he said. “The membership was great and will be hard to replace.”

“From the senior men to the younger players it was like an extended family,” said Dianne Gervais Rossi, the president of the Rivermeadow Ladies League this week. “Rivermeadow was a neighborhood course where people felt comfortable coming in for coffee or to meet someone to join up with to play nine.”

Rossi said she had only been associated with Rivermeadow for five years, but quickly grew attached.

“I soon found that that friendliness and acceptance extended beyond just the ladies league, but to the owners and all the members of the club,” she said.

She said the ladies league is now “interviewing” other courses to see which one will become their new home.

“It is yet unknown,” she said.

Rivermeadow Golf Club, on Lincoln Street in Westbrook, will not open in 2016, raising questions about the future of the land. A red out-of-bounds stake lies on the ground Tuesday near the 8th hole at Rivermeadow Golf Club in Westbrook. The club’s owners announced in late January that the course will not open this year. City officials have said they are in discussions to keep the land open recreational space.