Golfers who were hoping to tee off at the 9-hole Pioneer Golf Course at the Bluegrass Army Depot in a few weeks will have to take their clubs elsewhere. The Depot is shutting the course down for good. Public Affairs Officer William Ritter said closing the course was a matter of dollars and sense.
“It's purely economics. Our new commander took over last year and been evaluating all the operations around the Depo. And unfortunately, the golf course was one of them that was losing money.”
Ritter said officials aren’t sure what will become of the land the course is on, but noted there are still several outdoor recreation options at the depot. He also said while the depot is winding down its chemical weapons mission, it’s not about to close.
“A lot of folks only associate the Depot with having the chemicals. And, yes, they've been here for a couple of decades, and they've been a focal point. But that's only about 25 percent of what happens on the Bluegrass Army Depot.”
Ritter said the other three-quarters of the mission involves storing, shipping and transporting conventional munitions. With supplying arms to Ukraine, the last year at the depot has been busier than in many years, he said.
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