The Town Council last week took the first swings toward redeveloping the long-vacant Griffith Golf Center.
Two items must be accomplished to get the ball rolling — determining how many of the 55 acres are considered as wetland and bringing in many tons of fill to build up a portion of the site.
The former golf course is on the east side of Cline Avenue, north of Ridge Road at the border with Hammond.
The council is sending information to the Army Corps of Engineers to hopefully establish the areas designated as wetlands.
To build on a wetland, the town would be required to pay the federal government a mitigation fee estimated between $70,000 and $100,000 per acre, board members said.
“We hope to minimize the mitigation involved in getting federal approval to build on the site, as we feel the land may have become wet after the golf course closed,” said Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd.
“The town was told by authorities that we could no longer cut the grass and maintain the property, which was acquired by the town in a bank sale.”
The course closed its business about 11 years ago, and the Redevelopment Commission later purchased it for $500,000.
The town also must bring a portion of the land up to the proper elevation before any building can take place.
The council approved the importing of enough fill to build up between 8 and 10 acres about 8 feet high, said Council Vice President Larry Ballah, R-2nd.
Ryfa said he will be sending out contractor requests for bringing in the fill, which then must be compacted.
All involved contractors will make an agreement with Griffith to provide clean fill and stipulate what kind of materials will be used.
Favorable environmental considerations also will be required.
Ryfa said the town would like to see some type of new development sprout from the land as soon as possible. “But realistically, (we’re) looking at 9 to 18 months,” he said.
In 2015, officials received a professional presentation on a possible 27-acre campus with a pair of six-story office buildings.
The council also approved a new town attorney to replace recently retired Bob Schwerd.
The board hired Sheri Bradtke McNeil, of Kopka Pinkus Dolin PC, to be its new legal counsel.
The council also approved a new five-year agreement with Teamsters Local Union No. 142, which represents the public works department employees.
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