SPRING GLEN – Representatives of the group that currently owns the former Homowack Lodge have met with officials from the Town of Mamakating and the NY State Department of Health to discuss the steps necessary to bring the derelict facility into compliance with the law, the Journal has learned. Out-going Town of Mamakating Supervisor Robert Fiore said that professionals representing the camp — known as Machne Bnos Square — met with officials several weeks ago, during which the representatives of the congregation were provided details of town and state requirements. They have since filed the paperwork required to begin the application process for the "special use permit" the group must obtain before the camp can operate legally.

"We discussed their return to the Homowack and the conditions thereof," Fiore said. "Everything that is wrong with the Homowack has to be fixed; they have to have permits; inspections have to be in place, signed, and sealed."

Earlier this year, town and state officials discovered that the group was operating a camp illegally at the site, even though its application for a special use permit had been denied. A two-month drama then ensued, during which officials sought to evict the group from the facility, citing dangerous conditions. Several inspections of the facility this past summer revealed collapsed ceilings, leaking plumbing, exposed wires, and a pervasive mold problem. Despite these hazards, the group refused to leave the old resort, forcing government officials to obtain a court order. After several delays, the residents departed and the town has since "placarded" the buildings with no trespassing signs, which means that the premises cannot be occupied and that only designated contractors engaged in the repair of the facility are allowed to enter into the buildings.

The old resort has also become somewhat of a nuisance for residents who live nearby. A number of windows were broken over the summer, and there are also heard unconfirmed reports that windows in the rear of the facility have been shot out.

Additionally, there is also the continuing issue of an abandoned trailer that has been left in a parking lot on Phillipsport Road across from the main building. This trailer, which is apparently loaded with demolition debris from an old canal house on Phillipsport Road south of the hotel, was abandoned in the parking lot approximately two months ago. It currently remains unclear who owns the trailer. However, rumors continue to swirl that the trailer may belong to a scrap-metal dealer out of Monticello who is currently under investigation by the office of State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Apparently, there was at one point a Maine license plate on the trailer, which has since been confiscated by state officials. The State of Maine is notorious for having lax truck registration requirements. Wendy Rosenbach, a spokesperson for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, another state agency involved in the case, said that the agency was not in position to comment on the matter, and therefore could not confirm the ownership of the trailer.

Ironically, the current owners of the Homowack will be forced to remove the trailer at their own expense, as it currently rests on resort property. Abandoned buildings often act as a magnet for illegal dumping, and it is unlikely that the trailer's owner would have chosen this particular spot had the old resort been operational and well maintained.