Lazy River criticism continues in Gardiner

By RICK REMSNYDER
Posted 10/26/22

The Lazy River Resort took it on the chin from town officials and the public again at the Gardiner Town Board meeting on October 11.

Yogi Bear Jellystone Park’s request for a number of …

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Lazy River criticism continues in Gardiner

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The Lazy River Resort took it on the chin from town officials and the public again at the Gardiner Town Board meeting on October 11.

Yogi Bear Jellystone Park’s request for a number of waivers in its application to create a Campground Floating District was the topic of discussion at the board meeting, and it didn’t go well for the Gardiner campground.

The Town Board seemed to be united in its feeling that allowing more campsites would compromise safety at the site.

“I’ve been bringing along safety concerns all along,” Councilwoman Laura Walls said. “I continue to be concerned about how close they are together. The attorneys for Lazy River – whenever you bring something up – they write a long piece about how that’s not the case. I don’t know how they can mitigate my concerns for safety, particularly in regard to fire.”

Walls said she hopes in the future that Lazy River will ask the town for approvals before going ahead and adding campsites.

“I really do expect that it’s upfront, positive and honest and ask what you have to ask first,” she said.

Councilman Franco Carucci said there are a lot of issues that concern him about the existence of more park model RVs at the Lazy River campsite.

“Specific to the park model RVs, these are in my opinion way too stacked into a close area and that concerns me,” he said. “Their waiver request for these park model RVs is their request for forgiveness now that they’ve gone up.”

Councilwoman Carol Richman said there’s no question that Lazy River has a huge visual impact that is detrimental to the town.

“Lazy River looks like a city when you’re looking at it from across the river,” she said.

Councilman Warren Wiegand said he was “particularly disappointed in their (Lazy River) sort of either flaunting the rules or at least not acting as partners with the town. We should all be in this together, but they have always taken the what’s in it for me approach.”

Noting that the Yankees were opening the major league baseball playoffs on the night the Town Board was meeting, Wiegand said, “I’m a big believer in keeping one’s eye on the ball. And for me, the ball is these issues: The safety of Lazy River’s guests. Noise. Visual impact and buffering.”

Wiegand asked town attorney Allyson Phillips of Young/Sommer, LLC if Lazy River was requesting a waiver to put park model RVs “in there with impunity.”

“They’ve taken the position that they have a right,” she said. “But then they’ve identified for us how many additional park model RVs they want and where they would go.”

Phillips said the board doesn’t have to grant the request.

The board took no action after the discussion ended, and it’s obvious the debate over Lazy River’s waiver requests will continue.

During the public comment period, the public continued to vent its displeasure with Lazy River’s growing campground.

Wolfe Scandinaro was one of the more outspoken critics of Lazy River.

“Lazy River, in my opinion, is not necessarily a resort,” he said. “Lazy River is an amusement park with a little bit of a campground. It has perverted the use of the property to fit in their model, which is obviously to generate revenue. I don’t fault them for that. I fault them for how they have total disregard for their community and total disregard for the people within earshot.”

Scandinaro said any “inaction by the board will set the stage for other businesses to act the same way. I think the board should be focusing on the noise factor. If you can stop the noise or pass a law to hold them accountable, a large portion of the community will get some relief.”

Lazy River Resort General Manager Scott Masopust did not respond to a Wallkill Valley Times request for comment.