Rolling Hills view will be missed
Jim McNutt/Observer-Reporter Exterior of the Observer-Reporter building in Washington.
A fenced-off swimming pool at the former Rolling Hills Country Club
For nearly 70 years, motorists on Peters Township’s East McMurray Road were treated to a pleasant view of immaculately manicured lawns as they drove past what originally was known as Mt. Lebanon Golf Club.
Just after World War II, a group of golfers from the suburb to the north sought a place in the country to set up shop, and Peters certainly qualified. The township still did as of 1968, when the name of the site changed to Rolling Hills Country Club.
Greeting onlookers today are the minimally maintained vestiges of the once-vibrant facility, the property for which has been sold and is the subject of eminent domain proceedings by the local municipality and school district.
Rolling Hills’ demise came despite the members’ constant efforts to keep the club up to date, with millions of dollars spent through last year. Unfortunately, the economic downturns over the past decade and a half resulted in a corresponding downturn in time and money for golf and other leisure activities.
Meanwhile, the near 200-acre site represents prime property for a township that, despite the rural nature of its not-so-distant past, is running out of open space.
The municipal government wants more land for the recreational demands of residents. The school district needs to address effective ways to house its students.
As such, the former Rolling Hills site should remain somewhat visually attractive when repurposed as a park, school campus or whatever else the future holds. But it just won’t be the same.
Neither will East McMurray Road, which has become a traffic magnet as Peters’ population grows. As recently as 20 years ago, the street had just one traffic light between the county line and Donaldson’s Crossroads.
Now, the number is up to three, and the intersection with Valley Brook Road could use another reconfiguration. And whatever goes into Rolling Hills, you can bet another signal is on the way.
Nearby residents probably complained in the ’40s when those Mt. Lebanon slickers bought the old Bell farm to start a golf club. But at least they could drive their DeSotos past the course with relative ease, and with a great view, to boot.