October 7, 2020

A new lease on life

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis plans to turn the former Carter Carburetor site into a golf training center for St. Louis youth

By Charlotte Beard

Before the end of November 2020, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) anticipates becoming the new owners of the former Carter Carburetor site property located at 2805 N. Grand Boulevard in St. Louis. The site is set to be the future home of a golf training center for St. Louis youth.

On Sept. 16, BGCSTL announced that the organization had entered into a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to acquire the property following the recent completion of the site cleanup. The club will partner with Gateway PGA Reach to develop the youth golf training facility.

“When the Bellerive Country Club was awarded the PGA championship event in 2018, part of their application said that they would create an opportunity to promote golf and other leisure activities for folks in the community,” stated Dr. Flint Fowler, Boys

& Girls Club of Greater St. Louis President. “Generally, when there is a tournament some of the impact that the PGA hopes to make is on the lives and the quality of life for the people in the community where they are holding the tournament. The concept was pitched to them to create this initiative called PGA Reach where they would (provide) golf instruction and better understanding about the business of golf available to communities (that) traditionally don’t get involved (in golf) a great deal. In St. Louis that happens to be primarily African Americans and people of color.”

The BGCSTL saw this as the perfect opportunity for the PGA.

A board member who was aware of this (initiative) reached out to the PGA Reach folks and suggested we have a meeting. I suggested we try to get hold of Carter Carburetor in order to build the golf training facility

because it would be close by The Boys and Girls Club and other organizations like Urban K-Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and near some of the St. Louis Public School sites,” said Fowler. “Young people from all those locations could take advantage of that space. (The) Carter Carburetor building had been vacant for nearly 30 years. Nothing productive was happening there. It was an eyesore to the community – I think a major distraction to other or potential development. By having that building torn down, having the land cleaned up, and putting it to some productive use would complement what we were doing in the Boys and Girls Club. It would tie in well with what the PGA was hoping to achieve when they brought the tournament here in 2018.”

Fowler further stated that the cleanup took

much longer than expected, so goals were not met by the time the tournament happened.

In 2013, the EPA entered into a $35 million settlement agreement with ACF Industries, Inc. to begin the site’s cleanup, building demolition and productive reuse. Cleanup began that year with the removal of asbestos and hazardous debris from buildings on the property. www.storageauctions.com Demolition and removal of the buildings began in 2015.

Additional waste removal work, onsite waste treatment, and other cleanupwork continued into 2017. EPA and ACF Industries, Inc. completed their site work in May 2020.

“I couldn’t be prouder to sign thisProspective Purchaser Agreement

because it opens up a tremendous future for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis,” stated EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Few imagined a polluted, former carburetor plant could be transformed into a golf training center for the youth of St. Louis. But with vision and teamwork it happened.”

Fowler states, “Though we did not have a golf course built at the time the PGA event was here, we did start a golf program. Based on the number of young people who were and are involved in the program (at our sites), we were able to start golfing experiences and teaching young people the game of golf. The PGA Reach also has other locations where the golf program was alive and well (in 2018). They had a program operating in some of the schools; that effort is continuing. All those groups have been part of the conversation. To date we know from usage and local golf courses that there’s great interest. We also know from surveying people in the community that they would want to access a golf-related experience. It is more than just grabbing a club, going out on the course, hitting your drive, chip shot and putting. We will actually be able to teach young people the different skills associated with the game of golf – how to come out of a sand, how to drive a ball from the tee, how to work on your short game, how to putt, etc. When they go out to a more traditional golf course, they will be able to apply those skills. So, (golf has) been (in) our conversations with young people in our clubs and organizations like Urban K-Life and in the St. Louis Public Schools. We know there is an appetite for this (facility).”

According to Fowler, the administration is currently working on updating the facility’s design. BGCSTL had some preliminary plans but decided to investigate implementing more interactive accommodations for youth rather than “a passive kind of golf course.” Their desire

is to have activity and skill stations. In addition, to maximize use of the facility BGCSTL has plans to attract the interests of adults.

Fowler states that it will take various resources to build out the space and that the club wants to create an endowment that would be used to maintain the facility.

“The goal is to not have to annually raise the money to keep in shape,” stated Fowler, “but to have the money there – make the necessary repairs as they are needed and provide for the upkeep of the space. Staff-wise – it will be a combination of volunteers and professional staff (including) a coordinator. (The coordinator) can schedule the use of the space, work to do outreach, coordinate activities with schools, and when the space is not being used by youth make sure that it is available (and) utilized by adults. Kids will be using the space for free. We hope to generate some revenue by renting the space out to adults and others.”

Fowler further explained that logistics of the facility are still in the early stages for being finalized. A survey will be created to acquire more input from youth about the additional things they would like to do at the new facility. The goal is to use the building year-round. Fowler shared that golf simulations that can be used indoors is one of the options being considered.

“Every young person I think has the right to realize their potential. It takes maybe a little bit something different to reach each young person to draw them to the club so that we can have that kind of impact. For some (youth) it is basketball, for some it is technology or coming to a recording studio, and for some it is going to be the game of golf. So, we will do whatever it takes to get a young person engaged (to) help them build the best possible future for themselves.”