What's Wrong with this Picture? (Updated)
Take a close look at this beautiful body of water and tell us what you think is wrong with it.
Photos
Hello again, Larchmont and Mamaroneck. After a very successful "What's Wrong with this Picture" post last week, I asked you yesterday to tell me what you thought was wrong with this new image.
The answer, as a few of you guessed, is that the beautiful "lake" in the photo is actually the Hampshire Country Club, which was, like most places in the area, affected by last week's storm. But what you see is not only a result of the storm. The Club ceased normal operations last December and is now up for sale. Its maintenance has been a concern of people in the Village and Town of Mamaroneck for several weeks now, especially since both municipalities expressed interest in acquiring the property. It seems that the land is receiving minimal maintenance, if any, and residents fear it might become a swamp by the time a deal is reached.
That said, since yesterday's post, I saw a few people working on getting the water out of the property. Let's wait and see if the picture featured here changes in a few days. (I have added more photos.)
Ana Galan
2:37 pm on Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Is this the Hampshire Country Club? It's totally flooded! Wow!
M B
6:53 pm on Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Maybe the TOM and the VOM can get a better deal because of water damage.
Sandra Larriva
11:31 pm on Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I heard that the current water problem can be taken care of in a couple of days, but the question is by whom? It seems like the owners are not hiring anyone to maintain the property.
Chief Siwanoy
4:03 pm on Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The 'current water problem' is an ongoing and severe flooding problem due to the history of significant parts of this property as a filled wetland. It floods whenever the storm and tides combine as they did over the weekend. In 1992 in a more severe storm a Mamaroneck resident died from drowning on the Hampshire fairway:
"In Westchester County, New York, a 73-year-old man drowned on the premises of a country club in Mamaroneck (northeast of New York City on Long Island Sound) when, because of high winds, he lost his grip while holding on to a tree to escape rising flood waters...".
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00018780.htm
He was 'holding onto a tree' because his automobile was swept off the road that crosses the club and into deep water on the fairway.
Sandra Larriva
11:03 pm on Thursday, March 18, 2010
It seems that the maintenance costs for the Town and Village could be quite high, given the condition of the land.
Sandra Larriva
11:04 pm on Thursday, March 18, 2010
Also, does anyone know if there have been any safety issues since the incident mentioned by Chief Siwanoy?
Sandra Larriva
5:14 pm on Friday, March 19, 2010
PS: the "lake" is gone! Someone drained the golf course. Take a look at the new photos I added.
Chief Siwanoy
4:52 pm on Sunday, March 21, 2010
In the "checkered" history of the golf club now known as Hampshire Country Club there was one flood event reportedly so damaging it helped put the club out of business.
"In 1934 a new group [of ownwers] took over [reopenned the club which had closed in 1929] and renamed the club the Harbor Country Club (retaining the initials H.C.C.). It then had 175 members. ... In 1938 a disastrous hurricane flooded the course and by the beginning of World War II, the club again shut down." ("Village of Mamaroneck Centenial 1895 - 1995" p. 53)