Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, is a national treasure (literally: it's on the National Register of Historic Places), as was its founder, William Powell, the first African-American to design, own and operate a golf course in the U.S. Powell, died on Thursday at 93. The course is his legacy, though for how long?
Four months ago, a Stark County judge upheld a zoning board decision to allow Buckeye Industrial Mining to mine coal within 370 feet of the Clearview Golf Club. "It is going to cause a problem," Powell's daughter Renee Powell told CantonRep.com at the time. "First of all, there is going to be runoff. It is going to cause a lot of damages that won't be able to be repaired on the golf course. It is not just water, (but) acid."
Potentially, it could put the course out of business, Ken Guenther, executive director of the Ohio Golf Course Owners Association said on Wednesday.
-- John Strege
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