Letter: Norwalk's Oak Hills Authority Should Listen Closer to Golfers

To the Editor:

Repeated letters to the editor and comments on-line, seemingly from the same 6 or 8 folks, have raised some spurious issues that need to be set straight for the citizens of Norwalk with respect to the Oak Hills Golf Course and the Authority that controls it. 

I can’t golf anymore, but I know that when I did, I would have used a driving range.  Whether one can and will be built at Oak Hills remains to be seen.  Everyone has a voice in the process, but a small group should not work overtime to hijack the legitimate workings of our municipal boards and authorities

The bottom line is that Oak Hills has been and continues to support itself.  There have been some cash flow issues because of the economy that have led to the city extending out the terms of capital loans, but the course runs like a business.  As such, they need to overcome some poor decisions made in the distant past related to the set-up of the restaurant and other infrastructure decisions. 

The driving range is just another aspect of that business plan.   The Authority needs to increase its revenue through more extensive use, while minimizing impact on the neighborhood.  In sum, Oak Hills is a premier asset for the City of Norwalk, and they are appropriately exploring whether a driving range will be additive to the overall experience and economics. 

The vitriol on the part of the few people that seem to oppose this exploration phase is unfortunate.  Rather than using facts, it seems mystical statements from faraway dentists and unsupported statistics are what stand in as an effort to frame the issue.  Conflating the operations of the course with potential removal of trees and trying to spin this issue negatively via confusion are not the way to move forward.  

I urge anyone concerned to come to one of the scheduled meetings to learn more.  There will continue to be an opportunity for neighbors and citizens to come forward and be a part of the process. 

Dave McCarthy