Opponents of a controversial golf team training center proposed near the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs say they are disappointed that the university will take as much as five months more to decide if it will move forward with the site or seek an alternative.
Quin Harper, a neighbor who has been active in the fight against the proposed venue off East Road, said Monday the decision to delay comes amid mounting environmental concerns and “the overwhelming opposition to the project from both the Mansfield and UConn communities.”
“So this seems like a delaying tactic against the public to wear people down, as no reason was given was actually given for the delay other than they said that determination cannot be made at this time,” Harper said.
UConn is in the midst of “scoping” for the project — a state-mandated, fact-gathering to examine an project’s breadth and whether further environmental study is warranted. Initially, the university had indicated scoping was expected to be completed by the end of April, then July.
Now, in a recent online notice, UConn pushed the estimated date back to “on or before Dec. 22.”
Preliminary designs for a 7-acre golf team practice center at the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut. The proposed center could include a driving range, plus putting and chipping greens. (GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc./University of Connecticut)
“The university greatly appreciates and acknowledges those who submitted comments on the proposed action,” the notice states. “Balancing the university’s operational and space needs with our responsibility as environmental stewards is a challenge we take very seriously. As we continue to evaluate this project, we will determine whether to move forward with an environmental impact evaluation or if an alternative site can be considered.”
In a statement Monday, UConn said: “The current focus for the scoping, design, and construction of the UConn golf practice facility continues to be the site on 986 Storrs Road in Mansfield.”
The golf training center is proposed for 7 acres about 1.5 miles south of the campus near where Storrs Road, or Route 195, meets East Road.
Other alternative locations considered — and discarded — include the university’s Depot Campus, Spring Manor Farm and the Orchard Site, at 862 Storrs Road.
The plans have touched off strong opposition from neighbors worried about soil erosion, already a problem in an area of steeply sloping topography, and potential well contamination. The town of Mansfield, which does not have regulatory oversight because the land is owned by a state university, has urged UConn to conduct a “robust analysis of other alternatives, given the neighborhood concerns.
Laura Tordenti, left, and her neighbor Quin Harper, both East Road residents in Mansfield’s Spring Hill area, stand along East Road in a file photo from March. Residents are seeking to stop UConn from building a new golf facility at the Sidney Waxman Conifer Collection along East Road. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
The concerns widened significantly when the Natchaug Watershed Advisory Board urged UConn to scrap the plans, warning that neighborhood wells and the drinking water of more than 20,000 residents downstream might be affected by harming the Fenton River.
The river is a major contributor to 164-square-mile, Natchaug Watershed and its health could be harmed by more intense storm water flowing from the training center property, the advisory board said. More storm water runoff could carry with it soil sediment and potentially chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, the advisory board said.
UConn has countered that the use of any chemicals would be under strict review and be limited in scope.
The advisory board also urged UConn to allow the proposed site to “remain as undeveloped green space.” Similar sentiments also were reflected in a June letter to UConn President Radenka Maric signed by state Reps. Gregg Haddad and Pat Boyd and state Sen. Mae Flexer, which represent Mansfield and the surrounding region, given the environmental risks.
(GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc./University of Connecticut)
GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc./University of Connecticut)
The controversy sparked the formation of a student group — the UConnifers — its name taken from the conifer research area where the practice center would be built. An on-campus protest in April drew participants from both UConn and Mansfield. A student-led petition opposing the plan now has collected more than 3,300 signatures, Harper said.
Some opponents say what remains of the Sidney Waxman Conifer Collection should be transformed into a arboretum for the public to enjoy.
Plans for the training center call for an unlit driving range, chipping and putting areas with gated entrance for the nine-member golf team. The training center could be 6,000 square feet with office space, lockers, restrooms and showers, equipment storage and repair space, and indoor putting and simulation areas. The driving range would not be open to the public.
UConn views the practice center as essential to recruitment for its golf program.
Currently, there is no indoor practice center. The team uses a simulator room at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, which will not longer be available after the fall of 2027, due to renovations at Gampel. The team also must travel to golf courses to practice.
If built, the cost to construct the training center would be funded by philanthropic donations.
The new estimate for a decision, Dec. 22, falls when the university is on break and people won’t be around, Harper said.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.