(WIVB) — After years of negotiations and delays, the Town of Amherst has officially purchased Westwood Golf Course.

The town purchased the 171 acre property on North Forest Road for $7.8 million. The town says that the course property will be used for a public park.

It’s a large increase from the $2.5 million that Mensch Capital paid for the property 11 years ago.

“We had it appraised, they had it appraised. We know what their plans were and we know what they could have done under the zoning the town had in place,” Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa told News 4’s Jacquie Walker on Friday. “When we looked at what our appraisal numbers were and they were willing to hit our appraisal numbers, we said that it was time to put an end to the debate.”

Kulpa said that some construction on re-designing the area will begin in 2023, with a large portion of it being done in 2024. They would like to get “a good portion” of it opened in 2025. They would like it to include splash pads, a playground and an ice ribbon

“We’re going to slowly begin to develop the central park that Amherst really deserves,’ Kulpa said. “Really trying to create a different sense of community, a different sense of space.”

You can watch the full interview above.