We believe that the plan the Institute is currently implementing singularly fails to honor these basic criteria. The requirements of the course itself and the implications of its more commercial focus have clearly been allowed to trump the interests of the wider public.

SaveAudubonPark.org requests that the current plan be modified to adhere to the basic requirement of preserving the multi-use nature of the park, and to remain "true to the original intent when Audubon Park was created," as the new Audubon Nature Institute website puts it.

The time is right for a compromise plan. The Audubon Institute has already drafted and redrafted its plan six times to address specific golf issues. It is not too late for the public and the Institute to come together to negotiate another version of the plan.

With regard to the Instititutes current golf course and clubhouse plans, our primary concerns are

• the loss of publicly accessible green space, including the Hurst Walk, Meditation Walk, and the linear park along the inside of the lagoon, that are being appropriated as part of the new golf course although they were never part of the old one;
• the appropriation of other currently undeveloped green space, specifically the lovely grove of live oaks across the lagoon from the bandstand, for the construction of 12,000-15,000 square feet of golf course buildings such as the clubhouse and its adjunct facilities;
• the construction of a roadway cutting through the oak grove to connect the golf course buildings to each other and to their new parking lot;
• the demolition of the Heymann Conservatory, rather than its restoration as an admission-charging facility similar to the Botanical Garden in City Park;
• the increase in traffic across the jogging/biking track resulting from the addition of the new 80-100 car parking lot servicing the golf course facilities;
• the environmental impact of replacing the old quasi-rural golf course with a highly manicured style requiring high chemical maintenance, which many people increasingly consider to be toxic;
• the lack of an adequate public input and planning process by which the Audubon Commission and the Audubon Nature Institute develop plans for the Park.

Some suggested compromises

We outline here some compromises that we think can deliver a final outcome that would be more widely favored in the community than the Institute's current plan.

• adjust the new course layout to keep Hurst Walk, the linear park along the inside of the lagoon, and Meditation Walk open;
• retain and restore the conservatory as an admission-charging facility;
• minimize traffic and parking on the St. Charles to Magazine Street side of the park;
• minimize the impact on the live oak grove by repositioning the new clubhouse and keeping the area free from all vehicular access;
• minimize the impact of the new clubhouse by abandoning plans for a general purpose hospitality facility that can be available at night to private parties and other groups.
• let the new golf course “go green” as golf courses all over the country are presently doing, to avoid the use of so many toxic chemicals in such close proximity to the park and neighboring homes;
• change the public input process by which the Audubon Commission and the Audubon Institute develop plans in the future, by establishing a Citizen's Advisory Committee to assist the Commission in obtaining public input and dialogue.

In the light of the October 15th presentation of the details of the Institute's clubhouse plan, we have drafted an alternate plan that places the clubhouse away from the Oak Grove, and preserves both the grove and the Heymann Conservatory. Click here for details.