NORWALK, Conn. – Nothing is set in stone as far as the Oak Hills Park Authority’s plans to allow a driving range to be built in the park go – including its location, according to Oak Hills Park Executive Director Shelley Guyer.
Although the OHPA Ad Hoc Driving Range Committee has recommended the proposal submitted by Total Driving Range Solutions to build a 30-bay driving range between the first tee and the sixth green, Guyer said that some authority members favor the plan put forward by King Golf International to build in the woods behind the restaurant at the park.
This comes in the wake of a presentation of the committee’s preferred plan to the authority by Jim Downing of TDRS on Nov. 21.
“It appears over the last couple of days that we’re seeing that there’s little disagreements among members of the authority as to which is really the better choice,” Guyer said at Tuesday’s tree committee meeting. “There are a lot of things to consider here. It’s a question of revenue, taking out a lot of trees potentially and in the end what is best for Oak Hills golf course.”
The authority is “reasonably split,” Guyer said.
Committee Chairman Ernie Desrochers said he could not talk to Guyer about it, as Guyer is unavailable over the holiday weekend.
“I am sure he misspoke, but since I was not at the meeting I cannot really comment on what he said,” Desrochers said in an email.
Guyer doesn’t have a vote in the matter but told tree committee members that he would prefer a driving range be located in the woods behind the restaurant.
“It’s a better location and a better facility for the long-term survival of the golf course,” he said.
The range proposed in the woods would cost $2 million, he said, while the TDRS range is estimated to cost $2.7 million, he said. Norwalk doesn’t foot the bill but the vendor needs to make that money back, he said.
King’s proposal calls for 41 mats, while Downing’s provides 30, meaning more potential profit, he said. The integrity of the course would be maintained with King’s proposal, he said.
Downing’s plan calls for shaving a hill near the sixth green and placing a net along the top.
“We’re kind of concerned about having a net behind the sixth green,” Guyer said. “That will kind of alter to some degree for people who play that hole as well as some of the potential foot traffic issues of having it there. You’ve got the first tee, people coming off the sixth green, people going up to the nets to hit. It will affect another potential plan that we are looking at to lengthen the first hole and make it a par 5. That seems to be needed because as equipment is getting better people are hitting the ball a lot farther.”
“I do know that some of the authority members raised concerns and had several questions about the range and it’s design,” Desrochers said in an email. “The driving range committee wants to be sure all of those concerns are addressed by TDRS at the next public meeting in December. The questions of our colleagues are fair and I am very confident they will be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.”
Desrochers and authority member Clyde Mount studied both plans and negotiated with both bidders before selecting the TDRS plan and recommending it to the authority, partly because it includes master planning services.
“After working with Jim Downing over the past few months I am very confident that the location that we have recommended is a win for the authority and a win for the community,” he said. “We are excited about re-imagining Oak Hills. We think it can be a truly fine community golf center. We had a great year in 2013 after an extremely difficult beginning. We all want 2014 to be even better.”
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