Gilboa, NY – When Barbara Kraus and her husband, Joe, built their retirement home 10 years ago, her family’s 203 acres was still the peaceful countryside where she’d dreamed as a teenager under night skies ablaze with stars.
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Now, they say, the peace and the darkness have been shattered by noise and lights of a nearby summer camp.
The Krauses and seven other neighbors are fighting to stop the camp from repeating what they claim was a nightmare last summer — of noise, brilliant sports lights shining into the wee hours of the morning, traffic problems, and a roaming bull and cows.
State Supreme Court Judge Eugene P. Devine on Thursday gave attorneys for Oorah Catskill Retreat and the objecting neighbors about 10 days to resolve their differences before deciding whether to grant the neighbors’ request to block the camp from reopening June 27.
The camp schedules separate four-week programs for girls and boys in July and August. The neighbors complain that loud music can heard almost around the clock, and that ball fields are lit and regularly used even in the middle of the night.
A class-action suit seeking $10 million for damages and reduced property values is pending against the camp, said Peter Henner, attorney for the neighbors.
“It’s been a learning experience,” Oorah’s attorney, Kevin Young, said since the New Jersey-based, New York City area nonprofit group began modernizing and expanding the former Golden Acres Farm camp they bought June 13, 2006. The camp now primarily serves underprivileged Jewish city kids, Young said.
One thing neighbors learned, according to Barbara Kraus, is that the town of Gilboa has no land-use, noise or lighting regulations to control impacts on neighbors from such developments.
A $200,000 system of 97 high-intensity lights installed last summer on 15 towers, each 60 feet high, on several camp recreational fields is a particularly sore point.
tHE ONLY THING THE home can fight is the noise after
11:00.
If there are no laws broken,that is their hard luck unfortunately and I do feel compassionate about it but that is life.
In Miami Beach, a developer built 2 skyscrapers called the Blue Diamond and Green Diamond 60-75 stories high. Problem was , after 12;30 the sun was blocked out swimming pool of the Wyndham Hotel (formerly anti-semitic Doral Hotel of Arthur Godfrey the anti-semite-No jews allowed) for $300 per night. They sued for hundreds of millions of dollars and lost. My suggestion sit down with Camp officials and compromise on certain things or u will spend years in Court and only the lawyers will win. Good luck Guys and try to understand each others position.
starting price.
It was a functioning farm-camp before, and the are complaining about a petting zoo that has a cow?
Just like increased security awareness everywhere in the USA, the bright lights are a necessity — the neighbors might even recognize that there could even be antisemites in the vicinity, and therefore security lights to protect Jewish children attending the camp is necessary.
If you ever visited Green Acres Farm, you will understand the tranquility and peace which descended at night. These neighbors are in for it. I feel sorry for them.
1. Wouldnt you also wait till a few weeks before camp opens to make a stink??
2. If the Kraus’ have deer in their yard, will they sue G-d, Walt Disney for creating Bambi, or BOTH?!
3. As someone else posted, if they would just meet with Oorah and vice versa, this would be taken care of easily. Having spent time in the ‘skills at some camps, I could tell ya some of them have light curfews at 11p or 12a.
unfortunetly Ryan does not have a CLUE as to what he is talking about. The current Miami Beach Spa & Resort, formely the Wyndham Hotel, Formely the Doral Hotel was built & developed by Doris & Al Kaskel (hence the name DORAL)was NEVER owned by the avowed piece of dreck arthur godfrey. He owned the Kenilworth Hotel, where the sign was up “No Jews or Dogs allowed. Also the suit he is referring to was filed by the owners of the Eden Rock hotel against the Fontainbleu Hotel owner Ben Novak when he built his famous “Spite Wall” when the devloper of the Eden Roc hired Fontainbleu archeitect Morris Lapidus to build the Eden Roc. Also the Blue & Green Diamond only are 44 stories tall and since the sun rises in the east and sets to the west and the Blue & Green Diamond are to the south of the Wyndham they do not block the sun…Get you facts correct.
Oorah is a great organization and what they do is pretty unbelievable; however, we all need to be careful of Dina D’Malchusah Dina and they have been in the news recently on more than one occasion for just that. Again, Mentchlechkeit and Yashrus should trump all.
So, for all those who think these people who have nothing to complain about because the zoning laws allow it…
If someone buys land near frum communities and puts up billboards with as untzunius models as the secular law allows, do you think the frum community would also have no business complaining?
I am sickened by the insensitivity of my “fellow” Yidden. While Oorah does provide a needed service, they do not need to destroy a tranquil area. I have visited Golden Acres Farm and Ranch for close to 30 years. I was heartbroken when they closed.
Now I am sure that many of the readers here have not seen what the rest of the world looks like outside of the 5 boro’s, off route 17 or Eretz Yirsroel, but this area is truly amazing. So, to have Oorah come in and destroy it sickens me. Aside from the huge chilul Hashem it causes, it is unnecessary. You do not need blinding lights or loud music at all hours of the day and night to have an enjoyable time. In fact, Golden Acres had a PA system but never used it past 6 or 7 PM, and they never had a problem.
I truly hope that this ends in the favor of the people living around this camp.
I don’t believe the camp has music blasting at all hours of the night. Just because a neighbor sued doesn’t mean it is so. I have been a product of the same harrassment in another location where the cops were constantly called even when little kids were just playing a tape during the afternoon. the antisemites finally sold the house. turned out the woman was actually a yid married to a goy.
Anonymous Says:
I don’t believe the camp has music blasting at all hours of the night. Just because a neighbor sued doesn’t mean it is so. I have been a product of the same harrassment in another location where the cops were constantly called even when little kids were just playing a tape during the afternoon. the antisemites finally sold the house. turned out the woman was actually a yid married to a goy.
06-16-2008 – 10:08 AM
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Thats exactly the point . you say that you dont believe that they blast music at night . instead of spewing what you do or dont believe why dont you get off your tachat and go see for yourself what goes on there. I was there and i know first hand what went on there . Its a total disgrace and a chillul hashem . I told MR. Mintz on several occasions to stop this chillul and he just laught it off.
first of all I have been a camper in the zone for 5 years and music blasting is not true. there are 5 divisions in the camp which is juniors, intermediates, seniors, teens and discover u, the younger groups curfew is 9:30 and the seniors and juniors curfew is 11:00 teens is 1 am and discover you doesnt have curfew this curfew means we are in the building at this times and lights are out thirty minuets later. this camp is very fun and it is of a agood cause they dont mean harm, they are strict and are on top of everything the camp grounds is pitch dark by 1 am with no noise just councilors walking around NO MUSIC and what do they expect its a camp. sure people miss golden acres it sounds cool i researched it but thing change things shut down and open if everyone knew what this camp was really about , all the good they do for kids, they wouldn’t bother us, sewing isn’t appropriate.