Golf Course Project Comes into Focus Important Decisions to be Made in Upcoming Weeks
By Rebecca Marber ’09
News Guest Reporter
In the next several weeks, the Board of Trustees will be meeting to discuss in more detail the possible construction of a golf course on campus. Since the commencement of the new school year, this topic has provoked increasingly intense debate, as the student body and faculty learn more about the prospective topic.
According to Headmaster Edward Shanahan, the notion of a campus golf course originated around 1995, and the Board of Trustees has been toying with it ever since. It may take as long as 6 months until a plan of action, or perhaps the lack there of, emerges regarding the construction of the course. Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Herbert Kohler ’57, would most likely plan to work in accord with his close friend and golf course architect, Pete Dye. Together they have designed and built several luxurious courses around the globe in four different continents. Kohler has committed $10 million towards the development of a “destination” course if the trustees approve the project.
Shift from “Passive to Active”
According to Mr. Shanahan, the idea of developing a golf course was triggered by interests in converting the vast fields east of upper campus into an area capable of generating revenue, and ultimately worth to the school. As Mr. Shanahan suggested, “What the board is looking at is a way of translating what is now a passive asset into an active asset. This would mean that it generates income, and will keep the tuition down or provide a scholarship for kids to come to Choate. Quite frankly, we are not interested in increasing our expenses.”
Jack Kazickas ’10, a current member of the varsity golf team, asserts that having a golf course within close proximity would be convenient and exciting, but can understand the opposition to its construction. Mr. DeMarco, head coach of the golf team, speaks for his team when he states, “It is pretty frustrating when you get to the course in Wallingford and are told you cannot play on it, or even hit balls. It would be wonderful to have a practice facility, but its impact on the environment is definitely a concern.”
According to Mr. Shanahan, the course would be built upon the 200 acres plus mostly east of the upper campus land. This land is to some considered “idle space,” but to others, like Lizzie Needham ’09, considered not only “an ecological sanctuary, but a home.” Also, Derek Lubekin ’08 believes, “Paddock Farm should be preserved for Choate students in the future.”
Along these same lines, Ian Morris, Choate’s senior Biology teacher, currently resides in 18th century house, on a stretch of land that he personally cultivated, also known to students and faculty as Paddock Farm. The building of the golf course would not only entail the bulldozing of his house, but would also undoubtedly destroy the gardens he has maintained for many years. These currently act as a valuable resource for ecological studies conducted by Choate students.
Seeing A Scientific Stance
According to Ms. Perkin, another Biology teacher at Choate, located on his property are acres of wetlands. Wetlands are ecosystems that contain a surplus of water in the soil, therefore producing conditions in which plants and other organisms can thrive. Wetlands are also an environmental gold mine, as they increase the quality of water, protect from floods and the erosion of shorelines, and offer an aesthetically oriented atmosphere. In order to build the golf course, these wetlands would have to be filled and mitigated. This provides an obvious obstacle, for the destruction of these natural habitats would have to be cleared by several local, state, and federal agencies, primarily the Environmental Protection Agency. These agencies would require that Choate rebuild considerable wetlands elsewhere; however, it is questionable whether or not the new wetlands will be as bio-diverse as the ones currently located on campus.
Another subject of environmental concern in the plan to build a golf course is the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Although Mr. Shanahan hopes to keep their use to a minimum, these chemicals are vital to course management in that they enhance the health and beauty of the greens. According to Ms. Perkin, a concern is that nitrate, a major component of fertilizers, which tends to not be absorbed well by soils, but rather freely leached out of the turf and into the runoff, could potentially contaminate groundwater and watercourses. In contrast, pesticides can be specially selected to be more persistent in the soil, and thus would not necessarily have the same fate as fertilizers. The watercourses that drain from the site feed various ponds and lakes in Wallingford, which eventually stream into the Quinnipiac River, running from East Haven to Plainville. Ms Perkin explained that such a high concentration of nitrates in watercourses can lead to eutrophication, in which algae typically dominate the community and deplete the amount of dissolved oxygen, potentially killing organisms such as fish that have a high oxygen demand. She also says, the alternative is more environmentally sensitive uses for the land, which include the provision of nature trails that could be used as a natural classroom for Choate students.
Facing a Water Issue
Yet another environmental issue Chairman Kohler and the trustees face is whether or not the area has a sufficient amount of water needed to sustain the course. Hill Country Water, an online source, claims that the average private golf course requires 312,000 gallons of water per day, which equates to 3,355 gallons per round of golf. The issues of water usage and the wetlands have yet to be fully addressed. When asked about the progress of the decision, Shanahan articulates, “This is by no-means a slam-dunk. I think it has the potential to be a very exciting addition to our campus.
Paddock Farm could end up torn down, being part of the golf course construction. PHOTO/Kazickas’10 and Kennedy ‘10
