Ferry Point Golf Course - $84 Million and Counting

[Richard Choi]

A nice article about a muni of biblical proportions (at least in amount spent). And there is not even any grass there yet!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/nyregion/26course.html

Anyone know who is going to be the designer for this course?

[Roger Tufts]

Interesting... I actually drove by there over the summer and again about 6 weeks ago and saw the area being worked on by bulldozers and the like.

I actually thought to myself that it would be a decent area for a golf course... not knowing it was a landfill...

Is dealing with all the toxins really worth all that money? I suppose it's kind of a cool setting with the Manhattan Skyline in the background... but that does take away from the serenity of golf.

Oh well, better hope those problems don't return...

[Tom_Doak]

That's the course Nicklaus was building.  It was discussed here a couple of years back.  They were working actively on it when we started Sebonack ... but evidently the developers have not been as on top of things as Mr. Pascucci.

[Tim Leahy]

And Giuliani thinks he can be President?

[HamiltonBHearst]

Can we talk about the project rather than politics?

Roger:

I have asked the same question about the serenity of these kinds of areas for golf projects.  Most on this site are very pleased with the Bayonne project that is also on this type of property.

[Garland Bayley]

And Giuliani thinks he can be President?

First thought that crossed my mind when they said he started the project.
 

[Garland Bayley]

Can we talk about the project rather than politics?
...

You didn't object to the mention of Mr. Pascucci who started the Sebonack project. What's up with that?
 

[HamiltonBHearst]

I am not sure I have any idea what Mr. Pascucci and the development of his private property has to do with the Ferry point project.  Also, my objection was to the injection of politics into this thread, I am not aware of Mr. Pacucci running for any office.


But, if you think like Mr. Leahy, it is clear why you do not understand the distinction.

[George Pazin]

Being President has gotta be easier than trying to get a golf course built in NYC.

 

[Garland Bayley]

Pascucci for President!

If he can get TD and JN working together, he has the best chance for the beauty queen objective, World Peace.

 

Hammy,

You didn't know there was a Pascucci Presidency exploratory committee?
And here we all thought you were sooooo well connected.

[Brad Klein]

Hamilton,

Bayonne was not a methane producing waste dump site of rotting garbage and chemicals. The land upon which it was built was mainly dredge from the bottom of lower New York Harbor, and then it was capped with sand and soil. It had much less of the chemical toxicity and gas release as, apparently, the Bronx site under the Whitestone Bridge has.

[tlavin]

Does the name Bay Harbor come to mind?  I love a brownfield reclamation project as much as the next environmentalist, but let's just hope nobody cuts corners, which is arguably why there were problems in northern Michigan.

[Jay Flemma]

Moreover, everything the parks department touches turns to lead.  Yes, they cleaned up conditions a little at La Tourette and Split Rock, but still we have nothing but crap for city public courses.  Stinker Beach, Sheet Rock, Marine Point Golf and Gun Club..., yuck...between arguments with American and the "$5,000 per tree to be removed" price tag, I don't blame American for throwing up their hands.

[SPDB]

I have often wanted to start a thread on this site. I have flown over it a couple of times and it is a total mess, with abruptments and mounding all over the place. Presumably this is a result of the landfill, etc.

I understand that massive remediation is needed on the site, and as unrealistic as it is, I think it would be veeeery interesting to imagine a course on the land as it stands right now. There is nothing natural about the land. Dirt is bulldozed all over the place creating so many odd shapes. But none of this earthwork was done with an eye to creating a golf course, which is why I think it would be cool to construct a golf course incorporating these features with minimal earth movement.

[Tom_Doak]

S Berry:  I think you're wrong about your last point.  I believe that they had started filling and shaping a bit according to a grading plan for the golf course, or at least, that was my impression when I visited the site about 3 years ago.  They just didn't get very far with it.

[HamiltonBHearst]

Mr. Klein

I compared the Bayonne project to this whitestone project  in regard to the posted question about the "serenity" of these sorts of sites.  I have not visited either.

But this picture actually looks more "serene" than some that I have seen of Bayonne and Liberty.

[Bruce Katona]

NYC Parks had an RFP out to complete the project....responses were due about 30 days ago...the list of entities submitting was fairly short due to RFP constraints....no deceision or award has yet been made.

[Mike_Cirba]

Didn't Mike Young do something like this at Catechee??

Wonder if he threw his hat in the ring?

[Steve Lapper]

Brad's commentary, along with Bruce's is correct. The amount of contamination at various layers of the soils is extensive and very, very costly to successfully mitigate.

Tom D:

No shaping work has ever really been done there over the last three years, as it was shortly after the initial work that the discovery of further contamination was made.

[David Stamm]

Looks like The Crossings at Cralsbad has a worthy contender.

[Tim Leahy]

I have often wanted to start a thread on this site. I have flown over it a couple of times and it is a total mess, with abruptments and mounding all over the place. Presumably this is a result of the landfill, etc.

I understand that massive remediation is needed on the site, and as unrealistic as it is, I think it would be veeeery interesting to imagine a course on the land as it stands right now. There is nothing natural about the land. Dirt is bulldozed all over the place creating so many odd shapes. But none of this earthwork was done with an eye to creating a golf course, which is why I think it would be cool to construct a golf course incorporating these features with minimal earth movement.

Looks like an add for Hillary to me.

[Richard Choi]

I really hope this project works out.

A golf course is a recommended usage for a site like this. It would cost far more money to clean up enough for people to live on it or even to establish a park where children can play.

A nice looking golf course where most people only visit few times a year is really an ideal usage for a Superfund site.

And you can't beat this location.

I am afraid that even when the course is finally completed, we are probably looking at $200/round for out of towners.

[Dave Bourgeois]

I wish they could re-direct some of the funds from this failing project over to Split Rock.  Its been mentioned before, but there is a wonderful set of greens, and excellent course right in the BX that is just waiting to be restored.