Franklin County golf course would close if DCNR ends lease

A Franklin County golf course may be forced to close in a few years as Pennsylvania aims to expand environmental opportunities in the Michaux State Forest.

The Department of Conservation and National Resources announced recently that it does not intend to renew the lease for the property that is home to South Mountain Golf Course, located just off Pa. 233 a few miles east of Mont Alto.

The state environmental agency wants to make the site the home of its new Forest Resource Management Center, which it says will "advance the conservation legacy of the historic site," according to the agency's site evaluation plan.

The Quincy Township Board of Supervisors formally joined South Mountain Golf Course earlier this month to oppose DCNR's move to end the lease, which would happen at the end of the current 10-year term in 2026.

"We firmly stand with the South Mountain Golf Course and call for the renewal of the lease immediately, affirming the historical, environmental and recreational value of the South Mountain Golf Course to Quincy Township, the municipality in which it is located," reads a statement the supervisors approved on Oct. 3, according to Supervisor Lee Daywalt.

A public meeting about the issue will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct 18, at the South Mountain Fish and Game Club, 11547 Loop Road, Fayetteville. The golf course is closing at 4:30 that day so its staff can attend.

Why did DCNR choose South Mountain Golf Course for its new facility?

South Mountain Golf Course was among nine sites DCNR evaluated for the new resource management center. Several were in Caledonia State Park, which is north of the golf course.

The Commonwealth's basic argument is that the land would better serve to expand other outdoor recreational opportunities rather than hosting one activity that is available all over the area.

"Golf, an emergent outdoor sport in the early 1900s, is now a pastime widely available to residents and visitors to the South Mountain region. Now, burgeoning demand for beginner-level outdoor trail-based recreational opportunities, conservation education, and access to nature is pushing up against the carrying capacity at trailheads and other park and forestry infrastructure in the South Mountain region."

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Increased visitation, as well as visitors' high expectations, has increased demand on "every acre" of the state forest, according to DCNR. That has necessitated "improved administrative efficienceies to sustainably manage both the ecological and anthropocentric needs and functions of the forest," the site plan reads.

The document continues:

"Within this context, continued utilization of the historic footprint of the golf course lease as a commissary for private golfing opportunities becomes increasingly problematic. On the one hand, continued use of the golf course lease on state forest lands does not require the substantial direct budget or staff time that other recreational, educational, and nature-based experiences on the state forest require.

"On the other, given its critical historical, ecological, and operational location within the South Mountain landscape, Michaux State Forest District, Bureau of Forestry, and DCNR decision-makers have become increasingly aware over the last two decades that continuing the long history of the site as a golf course may not optimize current and future public values compared to the operational and visitor use opportunities a new resource management center would provide."

What does Quincy Township say?

The township says the property's legacy should support the preservation of the golf course.

"One cannot overstate the value of maintaining the integrity and character of the area that is and surrounds the South Mountain Golf Course. The State owns more than 85,500 acres on the Michaux, there is absolutely no reason that these new planned endeavors of DCNR cannot be placed somewhere that has little or no historical value to this Township, State and Nation, as this one here at the South Mountain Golf Course …" the township's letter reads.

Look back at the history of South Mountain Golf Course

The land the golf course sits on was first surveyed in 1750, according to Quincy Township.

The state used the land as a farm to feed patients at the state's tuberculosis treatment center, which was founded by Joseph Rothrock, whom a state historical marker in Chester County identifies as the "father of the State Forest idea in Pennsylvania."

According to DCNR, the golf course was founded in 1921 by doctors at the South Mountain Sanatorium to provide outdoor therapy for patients. Veterans of World War I used the course then, as did patients of the TB hospital, according to the township.

DCNR, then called the Department of Environmental Resources, took ownership in 1964. The property was leased to a private owner in 1968 to "provide a popular recreation opportunity to residents on these newly acquired lands."

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Built on land that once belonged to the Mont Alto Iron Co. in the early 20th century, the state's acquisition of the land "formed the basis for the state's early national leadership role in public land management and natural resource management, sustainable forestry; and sustainable economic development around natural resource conservation," according to DCNR's site evaluation.

The property grew over the years. Two acres were cleared between 1970 and 1985 to build a clubhouse and outbuildings "to improve the commercial viability of the lease," according to DCNR.

Didn't DCNR try to close the golf course before?

DCNR first began discussions to close the golf course in 2012, while assessing options to potentially relocate a target range that closed two years before. The site was also seen as an option for relieving congestion at Long Pine Run Reservoir or to provide another day use area.

DCNR took a wait-and-see approach regarding the leaseholder keeping the lease past the end of the term in 2015. When the time came to make a decision, DCNR decided the timing was not right to move ahead with its vision for a target range and other work at that time.

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: South Mountain Golf Course will have to close if DCNR ends lease