Oak Hills men defend driving range choice

NORWALK, Conn. – It was difficult but also a learning process, say the two men who worked with two bidders seeking to build a driving range at Norwalk Oak Hills Park.

Oak Hills Park Authority Ad Hoc Driving Range Committee members Ernie Desrochers and Clyde Mount made the comments in response to a recent outreach to the press from Tad King, whose proposal to build a driving range behind the restaurant at the park was rejected by the two men in favor of a proposal submitted by Jim Downing after a lengthy negotiation process.

King said he was mystified in part because he had submitted a proposal for the woods, which the request for proposals (RFP) had specified was the preferred plan. Downing’s Total Driving Range Solutions plan is for a driving range on the course itself.

Mount said the woods lost favor for a variety of reasons:

“It is my belief (only speaking from my opinion) that the fight to place it in the woods would take years, be in the end much more costly, and will damage a nice piece of open space at the park,” he wrote in an email. “It needs some real engineering for site work that I have not seen to any level of detail that would tell me we are good with it back there.  Public outcry and current administration are not in support of that location either, so the battle will hurt all Norwalkers if we can’t get it done in a timely manner. Something that when OHPA started this, I was of one opinion and now see why it is important to try and make it a better place for all of Norwalk.

“This has been a learning experience for all of us and we try to take it all in and make it better each time we talk about it. …We learned a lot, and to me, I would need to see something very different  for me to reconsider the restaurant location.   I think in today’s world, because something may be preferred, sometimes it just too unpopular, too hard to do, too expensive, doesn’t fit, etc. … a host of reasons that if we put our egos at the curb, we can do good things for the city.  I will tell you, I liked the spot behind the restaurant the most, but I am also a realist. … and feel that a teaching facility at Oak Hills makes for a totally different experience for golfers and non-golfers or future golfers …”

“Building behind the restaurant is like asking for a vineyard at Cranbury Park, just not in the cards, no matter what he says,” he wrote in another email. “Does not work for the community as a whole, which is one of the factors we had to consider.”

The TDRS plan has developed to a point that both men are proud of, they said.
“To me, the appearance of the OHP plan will be much softer, with trees lining the sides, vines growing on the structure, a nice entry way, and we are actually below grade a little giving a lower appearance to the structure,” Mount said. “Also we will have automated tees, and to some that is not a big deal, but that is a great feature that is talked about a lot at the Chelsea Piers structure in NYC.  We will be smaller, and not have the direct parking that Sterling (Farms in Stamford) has, but that is something I think will not have as huge an impact as is being portrayed at this time. There will be targets to hit to, and being that the golfers will have to hit up hill, they should see their shot until it lands.”

“TDRS has done a tremendous job in trying to create a place to practice in the park that can be both economic and sensitive to needs of the environmental community as a whole.  Isn’t that what the OHPA should be about?” Desrochers wrote. “Let’s make Oak Hills a learning center for everyone.”

Desrochers has been touting the master planning services that Downing will do for the park as part of his proposal. King said Desrochers was misleading people, as he would do master planning at the lowest price Desrochers said he would accept.

He said Desrochers had not told Mount. Mount said that wasn’t true.

“FYI, as a member of the ad-hoc committee, I was told that King would provide this service after we had to ask for it, so not sure why he would say I did not know,” he wrote. “It was part of the TDRS proposal up front.  I am actually not sure the timing of him adding that however. We may have started down the road with our preferred vendor at that time to get all the details in place.”

He also said King should have changed his proposal before the TDRS plan was chosen and announced at the August meeting.

“I guess I am just not sure why, after we made our selection public, he thinks he can change his proposal,” Mount wrote. “He should have done that prior to the August meeting, no?  He knew our timing.  The old saying that hindsight is 20/20 couldn’t ring truer in this situation. I wish I could see my competitor’s proposals and could go back in after the fact.  I would be one successful businessman!”

The OHPA will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in City Hall room 101.