Gardiner’s Bay Country Club site plan approved: Seven conditions set

Gardiner’s Bay Country Club (GBCC) officials won the day, with approval by the Town Board of its site plan allowing for a pumping station structure and cistern to be built on its grounds.

Attorney John Dunn, representing the Country Club, argued there was no need for site plan review since golf courses are exempt because they are allowed such installations as of right.

During a year of meetings and public hearings, many spokespeople for GBCC said the system would save water and be more efficient than the current irrigation method. A number of members of the Hay Beach Property Owners Association charged that Club officials refused to answer their questions or concerns.

In its decision, the Town Board’s approval came with seven conditions:

• There can be no expansion of the existing irrigation system without obtaining prior approval.

• Sound proofing of the pump house must be provided so noise at the exterior of the pump house doesn’t exceed 50 decibels.

• No wetting agents or pesticides can be added to the cistern.

• A dry well must be installed to capture runoff from the pump house.

• Club officials must provide 60-days written notice to the Town prior to submitting an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to expand its allowable well draw in excess of  the current limit of 6 million gallons per year.

• The applicant must maintain 3 feet of freeboard inside the system.

• The applicant must submit annual New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reports regarding on-site wells to the Town Engineer.

After reading the decision, Dave Ruby — a member of the Water Advisory Committee and the Hay Beach Property Owners, who was banned from visiting the site by Club officials — said he has “mixed reactions.” The Town Board recognized the risks of “fertigation,” or applying fertilizers through an irrigation system, but did not prohibit their use, he said. “There are risks of wetting agents and pesticides … in irrigation water from the cistern or well,” he added. “I was disappointed that GBCC’s ‘ad-hoc’ violations expanding irrigation were not addressed.” 

On the plus side, the decision allows the town engineer to see the Club’s New York Department of Environmental Conservation water use reports so they can now be verified by the Town, Mr. Ruby said.