State Cites Yorktown with Violation Over Holland Sporting Club Demolition

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued on March 17 a notice of citation against the town of Yorktown for the demolition work done, nearly a year ago, at the Holland Sporting Club.

(See the attached citation which was sent to Yorktown Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo.)

Yorktown councilman Vishnu Patel, who is regularly in contact with the Department of Environmental Conservation, has also been criticizing the demolition work done by Yorktown highway department employees.

"Right now, [the town is] in big trouble," Patel said.

DEC spokesperson Wendy Rosenbach told Robert Merchant of the Journal News that the town had to remove some of the material that was left behind and buried. She also told the paper that the town of cooperating with state officials.

Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace told Patch on Tuesday that there were some left over building debris from the demolition that had to be removed. He said highway department worked have been "hand picking" and digging through the piles to find that debris – which is mostly wooden debris. 

When Patel visited the site on Thursday and Friday last week, there were Yorktown highway department workers on the property who "ran away" once he got there, he said. 

"If they have nothing to hide, they won't run," Patel said. 

He said he noticed there were still wiring and hazardous material left behind from the demolition. 

"Nobody is hiding anything," Grace said and laughed. 

When asked about why employees might have left, Grace said the worked have "other things to do."

Then, when Patel visited the property on Monday, he said he was told it wasn't safe for him to go in. He told the employees all he wanted to do was take was pictures and see what they were doing. Eventually, the police was called to the property, Patel said. 

Grace said Patel was interfering with their operation, that he was "on top of them" and employees did not want to have a confrontation with him. The police put up tape indicating where it was safe for Patel to stand, Grace said. 

According to the notice of violation:

No person shall construct or operate a solid waste management facility without a permit. The Town was found in violation of these provisions for the disposal and burial of solid waste including construction and demolition debris at the above site without a permit.

No person shall dispose of solid waste in this state except at an exempt or Department authorized site. The Town demolished structures and disposed of them within the foundations at the point of generation.

Be on notice that implementation of remediation activities or correction of violations at the site in no way affects the rights of the NYSDEC to seek penalties and other relief in accordance with the Environmental Conservation Law and the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto­.

The 14-acre Holland Sporting Club property, with entrances on Horton Road, has been an eyesore to the community for years because of its dilapidated and vandalized buildings.

For the demolition project, town officials had budgeted $75,000, but Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace told Patch last year the actual cost was cut in half – to $29,000 – by doing the job in-house. In addition, the administration has spent $68,000 for asbestos removal. The town's previous estimates, using outside contractors, was . 

"I guess they could have done a better job," Grace said this week of the demolition work. 

Councilman Patel has previously criticized the demolition job done by town employees. Last year he said everything was supposed to be leveled once the demolition was over, but it was not. He said the town has not complied with a number of state codes including back-filling the area with grass or mulched with straw, hay or equal to provide a complete cover of grass seed.

The town purchased the property for $300,000 at a time when the going rate for the property could have been close to $2 million. It was last used about 15 to 20 years ago by club members. The town officially acquired the Holland Sporting Club property on May 24, 2005 and determined it as parkland.

The Holland Sporting Club was once an exclusive posh summer resort and weekend getaway. The 14-acre lakeside property on Mohegan Lake, located on a heavily wooded parcel of land, has been subject to vandalism over the years. Graffiti is written all over the buildings by people making their way in despite the "no trespassing" signs, beer cans, glass and debris have also been scattered about.

The Club dates back to the 1920s, when the property had a hotel, cottages and two clay tennis courts, according to records, on 1,000 feet of lake frontage. In 1915 the property was a resort for the wealthy, called Rock Hill Lodge, and eventually it became one of the last resort hotels in Westchester, housing more than 250 vacationers. (Click here to read more about its history.)

There are no immediate plans for the Holland Sporting Club property, but neighbors in the area are lobbying for the creation of a "passive park. Patrick Cumiskey, who lives right across the street from the property, is spearheading the efforts. 

Neighbors are scheduled to meet with Yorktown town board members on April 9 to further discuss the plans. 

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