Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hutchinson said there's nothing sinister about a driving range being developed at Coonskin Park.

"This has not been done in secret," Hutchinson said, overlooking about 15 acres of uprooted trees on a hillside inside the park.

"I understand people panicking," Hutchinson said. "But we're not putting asphalt in here. Imagine in six months how it's going to look. It's going to be a big, green space."

Timber on the hillside across from Coonskin's duck pond and tennis courts has been clear-cut for a driving range and golf education center. Pritchard Mining Co. President Andrew Jordon is financing the work, which Hutchinson estimates could easily cost $750,000.

The site for the driving range is not visible from the road, and is screened behind rows of trees. But hiking trails run through the area, including one developed in the 1980s by Saint Francis Hospital and a local scout troop.

Charleston resident Nancy Ward, a frequent hiker in Coonskin Park, was surprised to discover the work on a recent hike.

"That's a place I've walked for years," she said. "I wondered if I was the only one who cared about the spot, and it turns out a lot of people care about it."

"I think it's extreme what they've done up there," agreed Charleston resident Laura Phillips. "We took a perfectly good green space, and now it looks like a lunar landscape."

Ward and some other area residents say they didn't know anything about plans to put in a driving range until trees started coming down.

Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hutchinson said there's nothing sinister about a driving range being developed at Coonskin Park.

"This has not been done in secret," Hutchinson said, overlooking about 15 acres of uprooted trees on a hillside inside the park.

"I understand people panicking," Hutchinson said. "But we're not putting asphalt in here. Imagine in six months how it's going to look. It's going to be a big, green space."

Timber on the hillside across from Coonskin's duck pond and tennis courts has been clear-cut for a driving range and golf education center. Pritchard Mining Co. President Andrew Jordon is financing the work, which Hutchinson estimates could easily cost $750,000.

The site for the driving range is not visible from the road, and is screened behind rows of trees. But hiking trails run through the area, including one developed in the 1980s by Saint Francis Hospital and a local scout troop.

Charleston resident Nancy Ward, a frequent hiker in Coonskin Park, was surprised to discover the work on a recent hike.

"That's a place I've walked for years," she said. "I wondered if I was the only one who cared about the spot, and it turns out a lot of people care about it."

"I think it's extreme what they've done up there," agreed Charleston resident Laura Phillips. "We took a perfectly good green space, and now it looks like a lunar landscape."

Ward and some other area residents say they didn't know anything about plans to put in a driving range until trees started coming down.

Hutchinson said the driving range has been planned for two years, and was approved in public meetings that were advertised in area newspapers. He said Coonskin used to have a driving range, but the land was taken by the West Virginia National Guard about 20 years ago.

"For 20 years, people have wanted a facility put back in Kanawha County for young people to learn to play golf," said Hutchinson, an avid golfer. He said the driving range will give people a place to practice and learn golf and generate revenue for the park.

Hutchinson said Jordon's work crews have been widening and improving existing hiking trails as they've worked on the site for the driving range. He said disturbed hiking trails will be replaced once the driving range is finished.

Hutchinson expects work to be finished on the range by September, and hopes the facility can open to the public next spring.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper defended the driving range Monday.

"I knew when we did this we'd hear about it," he said. "But they tell me they met all the requirements for public hearings.

"I felt it would be a good family activity," Carper said. He said the driving range isn't any different from the soccer fields, swimming pool, golf course and other facilities at the park.

"Everything out there required similar construction," Carper said.

Reach Rusty Marks at rustyma...@wvgazette.com or 348-1215.