The Village of East Williston has scheduled a continuation of a public hearing on the Wheatley Hills Golf Club’s plan to renovate employee living quarters for Monday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. at East Williston Village Hall.
Announcing the scheduled date at a village board meeting last Monday, June 8, Village Mayor David Tanner said that Wheatley Hills is renoticing the required neighbors.
Public hearings were held in November and December 2014, and the continuation has been postponed twice this year—most recently on March 31, which according to village officials, Wheatley Hills informed the village of a change to their renovation plans a few days prior to March 31, which were submitted for the village’s review, and at the time, required a variance from the East Williston board of zoning appeals.
According to village officials, with the revised plans submitted, Wheatley Hills ended up not having to go before the board of zoning appeals, and the plans submitted now stand before the village board of trustees for a conditional use include interior alterations to the first floor of staff housing only.
“The alterations will create eight bedrooms from the existing twelve, making space dedicated to the common area of the living space,” Village Clerk Marie Hausner said. “A new entrance to the first floor staff housing is proposed for the building from the parking lot.”
Robert Campagna, village building inspector for nearly 20 years, has said he only became aware of Wheatley Hill’s living quarters in 2013.
“I pulled the property files, saw the living quarters, and it was an approved set of drawings at a different time,” Campagna said, who also pointed out that an approved proposal requires health department and fire department approval.
The previous plan, which was presented by Kevin Walsh, attorney for Wheatley Golf Course with the firm Walsh Markus McDougal & DeBellis, LLP Walsh in November 2014 to the village zoning board, was to extend the building slightly over 3,000 square feet, and was estimated to cost nearly $500,000, with renovations totaling $100,000.
As of the last December hearing, the revised renovation plan had an estimated cost of $250,000. With single living dormitories for golf club house staff, grounds keeping and the pro-shop only, the revised plan proposed eight bedrooms on the first floor, one bathroom, and a few common areas; and the lower level will have four bedrooms with two bathrooms, common areas and remaining storage space.
The exterior of the building was proposed to have some renovations, such as a new entry porch, new stone base to match the existing stone, new stucco veneer to match the existing stucco veneer. The existing slate room would remain the same.
Walsh said that the club currently has between 12 and 15 employees living in the club, some seasonal and all male, and three of the employees live in the main building above the golf course ladies locker room.
Water Rates Dispute
Tanner said the village board is targeting early September for another public meeting regarding the long-lasting water rates dispute with supplier and neighboring Village of Williston.
Williston Park raised the price of water twice in the past four years—in 2011, water rates increased from $2.99 per thousand gallons to $3.83, and was followed with an increase to $4.33.
In September 2014, a judge ordered East Williston to pay $600,000 in payments withheld during the arguments – including interest accrued. East Williston has paid at least $239,000 to date.
East Williston is considering two options—continue negotiations with Williston Park to reach an agreement, or build their own water system, which was estimated to cost $7 million at a special meeting last November that filled the entire village boardroom with concerned residents.
According to Tanner, East Williston is looking to secure a 40-year deal.
“This is probably the biggest decision this village has ever had to make” Tanner said, referring to the possibility to constructing their own water system. “This is a big, big financial commitment.”
