{"id":24773,"date":"2026-06-21T10:21:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T10:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/24773\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T10:21:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T10:21:15","slug":"ct-universitys-proposed-athletic-center-comes-with-environmental-risks-group-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/24773\/","title":{"rendered":"CT university’s proposed athletic center comes with environmental risks, group warns."},"content":{"rendered":"

Grassroots opposition to a proposed golf team practice center<\/a> near the University of Connecticut<\/a> campus in Storrs is drawing the attention of a watershed advisory board that wants to see the plans scrapped at the proposed location, concerned that nearby neighborhood wells might be affected and also the drinking water of more than 20,000 residents who live downstream.<\/p>\n

In a strongly-worded letter to UConn, the Natchaug Watershed Advisory Board<\/a> argued that the clearing of roughly a third of 22 acres UConn owns just south of the main campus and developing the practice range would increase the risk to drinking water to residents in Willimantic and parts of Windham and Mansfield.<\/p>\n

The advisory board\u2019s letter to UConn\u2019s Board of Trustees<\/a> further roils the debate over the proposed golf team practice center.<\/p>\n

The plans have touched off stiff 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 the university to conduct a \u201crobust analysis\u201d of other alternatives, given the neighborhood concerns.<\/p>\n

A protest on campus in April took the issue to the public and sparked the formation of a student group \u2014 the \u201cUConnifers\u201d \u2014 that opposes the project on environmental grounds. The group\u2019s name is taken from a conifer research area where the practice center would be built. A petition by the group has, so far, garnered about 170 signatures.<\/p>\n

\"AA UConn Forest marker is seen on a tree behind the Sidney Waxman Conifer Collection along East Road in Storrs, in the Spring Hill area earlier this year. The site is part of the proposed UConn golf facility. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

In its April 26 letter, the watershed advisory board said the training center project could harm the Fenton River, a major contributor to the 164-square-mile watershed, the largest in the state. The watershed provides drinking water, forms a critical habitat for fish and other wildlife and creates recreational spaces for the community, the board wrote.<\/p>\n

The golf practice center would disturb an already fragile ecosystem with a high water table, the board wrote. Removing trees whose roots help hold soil in place, combined with paving and creating other surfaces that don\u2019t absorb rain and other moisture, could mean further soil erosion in the area, the board wrote.<\/p>\n

More intense storm water flowing from the training center property could carry with it sediment \u2014 detrimental to the health of the Fenton \u2014 and also potential chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides used on the center\u2019s greens that could compromise nearby wells and the Fenton, the board wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cUConn has a previous history of severely impacting the Fenton River,\u201d the board letter, signed by its chair Kathleen Demers, stated. \u201cIn September, 2005, due to drought conditions combined with excessive water pumping by university wells, nearly a mile-long stretch of stretch of the Fenton River dried up, killing thousands of trout.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 7-acre site \u2014 one of six options considered by the university \u2014 is about 1.5 miles south of campus near where Storrs Road, or Route 195, meets East Road.<\/p>\n

\"LauraLaura 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)<\/p>\n

Plans call for an unlit driving range, chipping and putting areas with gated entrance. 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.<\/p>\n

The letter urged withdrawal of the plans, given the potential environmental risks. The best use of the land now proposed for the center would be \u201cto let it remain as undeveloped green space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the university\u2019s stated commitment to conserving resources and addressing sustainability challenges in its 2024 Sustainability Action Plan<\/a>, it is especially important that new development projects avoid introducing unnecessary risks to high quality drinking water resources such as the Fenton River,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n

The advisory board does not have regulatory powers. But it was created last year with a $70,000 federal grant administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.<\/a> The advisory board is overseen by the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District<\/a>, a nonprofit formed to protect natural resources and promoting sustainable land use in Windham, New London and Tolland counties.<\/p>\n

The advisory board was formed to carry out recommendations in the 2020 Natchaug Healthy Watershed Protection Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

UConn fires back<\/p>\n

UConn swiftly fired back at the concerns raised by the advisory board when contacted by The Courant for comment.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the university took aim squarely at the issue of the dead fish in the Fenton River in 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water use issue referenced occurred more than two decades ago, and UConn\u2019s sustainability practices have vastly changed over that time, making comparisons moot,\u201d the statement said. \u201cOf particular note, UConn has cut its water demand more than in half since 2005, despite the larger on-campus population and more buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn said it routinely earns top state, national and international honors for its green practices. UConn said it also is working toward carbon neutrality by 2030 and being carbon zero by 2040.<\/p>\n

The university said it was not contacted by the advisory board, prior to receiving the April 26 letter. The letter makes presumptions about herbicides and pesticides that do not line up with its proposal outlined on a website<\/a> detailing the training center project, the statement said.<\/p>\n

\"AA map shows the site of the proposed practice center for the University of Connecticut golf team. The 7-acre site is outlined in yellow and is shown in relation to the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion where the team has a golf simulator. (GZA Environmental, Inc.\/University of Connecticut)<\/p>\n

According to the website: \u201cThe use of any herbicides or pesticides would be subject to review and limited to two greens that would directly flank the building, encompassing approximately 7,500 square feet similar to the size of a single-family residential lawn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe driving range would not be treated as a fairway, and the tee box would be made of artificial turf. All turf grass applications would be in accordance with Connecticut and federal requirements and limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

The website also notes: \u201cWhile most of the parcel drains away from residential properties, the site\u2019s subsurface hydrology, drainage and runoff considerations would be reviewed in more detail during the design phase\u2026The engineering design would be scrutinized to avoid or mitigate any potential hydrological impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution and management of water.<\/p>\n

UConn is now in the midst of \u201cscoping\u201d for the project \u2014 a state-mandated, fact-gathering to examine a project\u2019s breadth and whether further environmental study is warranted.<\/p>\n

Initially, the university had indicated scoping was expected to be completed by the end of April.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe April date was a target but was never promised as a deadline,\u201d UConn said, in its statement. \u201cThe university received questions and feedback throughout the spring and has used the additional time to compile information to ensure a thorough response.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe golf team will be displaced at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion at UConn’s main campus in Storrs in 2027 after the completion of renovations. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

A decision could now come in July.<\/p>\n

If UConn does choose the site off East Road, the university said it would conduct a further environmental impact study \u2014 even if it is not required \u2014 alongside engineering designs.<\/p>\n

Should the university insist on the proposed site, the watershed advisory board said it would be imperative to incorporate green infrastructure including bioswales and rain gardens, both methods for capturing and filtering rainwater. Driveway surfaces that allow rain to seep into the ground also should be strongly considered, the board said.<\/p>\n

Not about the sport of golf<\/p>\n

UConn views the practice center as essential to recruitment to its golf program, now numbering nine athletes. Currently, there is no indoor and outdoor practice center. The team uses a simulator room at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion<\/a>, which will no longer be available after the fall of 2027, due to renovations at Gampel. The team also must travel to golf courses to practice.<\/p>\n

If built, the cost of the training center would be footed by philanthropic donations.<\/p>\n

The controversy surrounding the venue led to the formation of the UConnifers, a student group who came together to oppose locating the golf practice center off East Road.<\/p>\n

One of its organizers, second-year student Colin Hamilton, who writes editorials for the student newspaper, railed against the plan in an opinion column in April.<\/p>\n

Hamilton, a 19-year old from Simsbury, said his opposition is rooted in the fact that there is heavy emphasis on the environment and sustainability at the university. As of 2019, each student is required to pass a 3-credit course in environmental literacy.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe indoor practice facility for the UConn Golf team, behind the upper seats inside Harry A. Gampel Pavilion at UConn\u2019s main campus in Storrs. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have \u2014 to some level \u2014 this instilled value on environmental responsibility, environmental stewardship,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cSo, when we heard this was happening, it was an obligation to not only back-up what we\u2019ve learned, what we truly care about, but to also work with the community because UConn is vastly supported by the Mansfield community. It\u2019s really not fair to leave them behind when we\u2019re really abandoning our values as a university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton testified before the board of trustees at their meeting last week in opposition to the plans.<\/p>\n

Lillian LaFemina, another UConnifers organizer who will be entering her senior year this fall, said the group\u2019s opposition has nothing to do with the sport of golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, I don\u2019t mind golf,\u201d Lillian LaFemina, a 21-year old from East Lyme, said. \u201cMy family plays golf, whatever. It\u2019s a sport. But the truth is, this is just not a sustainable environment. And, it\u2019s an environment where people literally live. These are people\u2019s backyards. UConn has the money to place this golf facility anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Didn\u2019t want a shrine\u201d<\/p>\n

As now proposed, the practice center would be built on what remains of the Sidney Waxman Conifer Collection.<\/p>\n

Waxman, a highly-regarded horticulturist and UConn plant scientist professor was at the forefront of developing dwarf, cultivated varieties of pines. Waxman died in 2005, at the age of 81, and the collection has not been maintained for at least a decade, neighbors say, now overgrown and infested with invasive vines.<\/p>\n

Waxman\u2019s daughter Deborah, who now lives in California, said she was surprised to learn that her father\u2019s conifer collection would be replaced by the golf training center.<\/p>\n

\"AA locked gate stands at the Sidney Waxman Conifer Collection along East Road in Mansfield’s Spring Hill area. The site is part of the proposed UConn golf facility. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

After her father\u2019s death, Waxman\u2019s mother, Florence, also now deceased, and her brother, Paul, tried to drum up support for maintaining the collection. The family made a $10,000 donation but was subsequently told their only choices were to have the funds sit unused or be used for maintenance for Waxman conifers now planted around the Storrs campus.<\/p>\n

Neither choice was what the family wanted, but the family chose the latter. The family knew the collection property would be used for another purpose, but the family\u2019s hope that it would become an arboretum that would remain open to the public and be used for meetings, ceremonies and other events.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m careful not to try to turn this into some kind of shrine,\u201d Deborah Waxman said, in an interview. \u201cMy dad didn\u2019t want a shrine. He created something that was brand new. Valuable. Contributed to the university. Contributed to science. He would have liked to see the research continue, but that didn\u2019t mean he wanted his name all over everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deborah Waxman said he father would have understood that the property would have evolved over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he would not have expected it to be wiped away,\u201d Deborah Waxman said.<\/p>\n

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Grassroots opposition to a proposed golf team practice center near the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9853,9852,3232,1990,1452,9841,9842,9843,374,9860,9847,9846,9857,9837,44,9836,9855,1454,9858,899,1456,9839,9840,9856,9854,2407,9849,9850,9838,6467,808,9834,9848,9835,9859,9851,9845,9844],"class_list":["post-24773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-bioswales","tag-conifers","tag-connecticut-news","tag-ct","tag-ct-news","tag-deep","tag-department-of-energy-and-environmental-protection","tag-eastern-connecticut-conservation-district","tag-education","tag-environmental-responsibility","tag-environmental-stewardship","tag-fenton-river","tag-fertilizer","tag-gampel-pavilion","tag-golf","tag-golf-training","tag-green-infrastructure","tag-hartford-courant","tag-herbicides","tag-local-news","tag-max-image-preview","tag-natchaug-watershed","tag-natchaug-watershed-advisory-board","tag-pesticides","tag-rain-gardens","tag-safety","tag-sidney-waxman","tag-sidney-waxman-conifer-collection","tag-soil-erosion","tag-sustainability","tag-trees","tag-uconn","tag-uconnifers","tag-university-of-connecticut","tag-water-safety","tag-waxman","tag-well-contamination","tag-wells"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}