GBCC Supe meets opposition

Gardiner’s Bay Country Club (GBCC) Superintendent Ben Howell met with some resistance from speakers Monday night at the Town Board meeting as the Board continued a site plan public hearing on its proposal to create a cistern and pump house on the grounds.

For the past couple of years, the club has put forth proposals that started with a request to double its water use. Throughout the processes, the public grew skeptical. At a time when there has been emphasis on ensuring there is sufficient and clean water available to residents, discussions about doubling the club’s water use drew concerns.

At Monday night’s hearing, resident Dave Ruby said the expanded system being proposed was beyond what Town Code allows. Bill Mastro, president of the Hay Beach Property Owners Association, posed a number of questions he and his members have about the latest project. He described the process of plans being put forward, only to be replaced by other plans “like whack-amole,” trying to get answers. He said the Club had already started the project of excavating a large hole that was illegal.

Resident Stephen Jacobs wanted a copy of the plans and was told to request them from the Building Department.

The cistern would sit under the pump house and would be filled from a current well on the property, not from rainwater that flows into groundwater to replenish the aquifer, Mr. Howell said, and there are no plans to collect rainwater: the goal of the project is make water use more efficient.

Nor is the proposed system a step toward implementing “fertigation,” which is adding fertilizers and other water-soluble products to an irrigation system. What the Club plans is to adjust pH levels so water is not acidic.

The cistern could hold 116,000 gallons, not the rumored 154,000 gallons. “We can pump 600 gallons per minute from the cistern, allowing for quicker irrigation and improved plant health,” Mr. Howell said.

The club conducts annual soil tests and has filed reports with the New York State Department of Conservation and Cornell Cooperative Extension demonstrating that its operations are free from contaminants. The new system would eliminate the chance of saltwater intrusion into wells. Mr. Howell also said the use of a new pump house and cistern would eliminate the need to exceed the currently allowed six million gallons. The club had put forth an earlier plan to double its use to 12 million gallons per year.

Current pumping can run for days, depending on the weather, Mr. Howell said. He estimated there would be days in the club’s busiest season when the use of water for all uses would be at 4,000 gallons. The system being advocated now would also run more quietly.

Mr. Mastro said he and his members want to see Gardiner’s Bay Country Club be successful but want more answers before they can support the plan.

The Town Board is awaiting some reports and adjourned the hearing pending their receipt.