Public New York golf course formerly on Air Force base slated to close at season's end

A play people successful nan Central New York region that was primitively built for officers and civilian labor is slated to adjacent astatine season’s end, according to a caller report.

Mohawk Glen Golf Course successful Rome, New York, was built arsenic a nine-hole people for those assigned to Griffiss Air Force Base, but erstwhile nan guidelines closed successful 1995, a section proprietor maintained nan property.

Now, according to a communicative successful nan Rome Daily Sentinel, nan people will beryllium permanently closed astatine nan extremity of nan season. Owner Michael DeSalvio said Oneida County will acquisition nan land.

The region and Mohawk Valley EDGE person been moving successful nan area aft receiving a $23 cardinal assistance successful March to toggle shape nan adjacent Triangle Site to beryllium much industry-friendly.

“We’ll beryllium unfastened for nan remainder of nan season,” DeSalvio said, usually closing erstwhile snowfall starts falling. He noted that he will not beryllium trading Delta Knolls Golf Center connected Elmer Hill Road.

When nan guidelines was still open, play was dense connected nan par-36 track. During its operational years, Griffiss was its ain community.

The guidelines had barracks, its ain religion and galore amenities that made it wholly self-contained.

“It was a metropolis wrong a city,” said authorities Senate Deputy Minority Leader Joseph Griffo, who served arsenic Rome’s politician from 1992 to 2003. “It had each amenity. Every amenity you would person successful a city, it was there.”

So erstwhile Griffiss Air Base closed successful 1995, it took astir 8,000 jobs and 10,000 group pinch it, Griffo said. Suddenly, nan “city wrong a city” now had a large mobility people hanging complete its future.

But because of nan spark successful commerce, nan region has go charismatic again, meaning nan onshore had added value.

DeSalvio told nan Sentinel he hadn’t planned connected closing nan play people for different fewer years, but nan region approached him pinch nan offer.

“I was reasoning I would spell a small longer,” DeSalvio told nan paper. “It’s been really bully here.”