Golf Hall of Fame gardens to become public park

Augusta Mayor Deke copenhaver wants to re-open the Georgia Golf hall of Fame gardens. He's proposing that the city temporarily lease it from the state.

There never was an actual hall only the gardens. They closed at the end of June when Governor Sonny Perdue vetoed state funding for the property in downtown Augusta.

The lease offer would call for the city to take over the gardens for 6 months and maintain them with 50 thousand dollars raised by the local business community.

Mayor Copenhaver says the city would work in partnership with the Golf Hall of Fame Authority and make it a public park.

"If the city is going to participate, I belief you have to give free access to the property," says Copenhaver.

State and local officials still have to sign off on the lease proposal which could be as early as next week.

Pledges could save botanical gardens

The Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta may get the financial boost it needs to turn its botanical gardens into a free public park. The Gardens have been closed since June 30th after Gov. Perdue vetoed the funds needed to make it free to the public. Since then, 35 citizens and business have donated pledges of $1,000 dollars each.

But Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver says the Gardens need a combination of resources to reopen it as a public park. He says, "That is what I would like to see, a public/private partnership and one with education as well."

Possibilities include assistance from Augusta’s municipal departments, private benefactors, and Augusta Technical College, which may use the site for hands-on teaching in horticulture.

While there is no official plan, local businessmen, backed by the mayor, hope to reach an agreement with the Board of the Golf Hall of Fame. So far, the state has poured over $13 million dollars of public funds into the property.

Golf Hall of Fame closing

The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta is closing. Officials say they’re closing the Hall’s Botanical Gardens and putt-putt course. They made the announcement a week after Governor Sonny Perdue vetoed $630,000 dollars for the Hall from the state budget. The Botanical Gardens and putt-putt course are the only visible symbols of the Golf Hall of Fame, since the Hall itself was never built. Taxpayers are still paying off a $6 million bond meant to build the hall.