Spring Glen, NY – For 3 Years Skver Camp Played Cat-and-Mouse Game with Regulators

Spring Glen, NY – Operators of a Hasidic children’s camp at the former Homowack Lodge persistently and flagrantly violated building and fire codes as far back as 2007 — two full seasons before the state went to court and forced a mass eviction late into the group’s third season.

Newly released records reveal that the camp played a cat-and-mouse game with regulators: The state Department of Health would badger the camp operator, Congregation Bais Trana, and the resort’s property owner to correct problems and threaten the camp with closure.

Some repairs would be made, the state would relent and eventually the camp would be allowed to operate. This would be the pattern for two consecutive summers.

“They worked very hard and … were ultimately able to obtain a permit,” Health Department District Director Mark Knudsen said.

This year’s showdown with the group, which led to the eviction of some 265 children and 35 families, was different in that the condition of the buildings deteriorated greatly over the 2008-09 winter, Knudsen said.

Pipes and sprinkler systems burst, causing significant water damage, mold and electrical hazards throughout the former resort.

“In 2008-09, they just shut the doors and walked away and never did any preparations for the winter,” Knudsen said. “This did a lot of serious damage through the property.

They showed extraordinary bad judgment by occupying the property in that condition, “I think the problems this year were insurmountable.”

Residents and firefighters have long complained about conditions in the former hotel and that the state and Town of Mamakating have been lax in enforcement. But Knudsen denied that.
“They haven’t been getting away with murder,” he said.

The former Homowack, now called Machne Bnos Square, is owned by Congregation Ahavas Chaverim Gemilas Chesed, a New Square-based sect that is affiliated with the Congregation Bais Trana, the camp operator.
Representatives from those groups have been unresponsive to requests for comment.

Some of the same violations cited in 2007 surfaced in inspections in later seasons, according to records obtained by the Times Herald-Record through a public records request.

For example, issues with fire doors and exits and the failure to submit an emergency plan show up in inspection reports and letters in 2008 and 2009.
In 2007, the state, citing numerous health and safety issues, ordered the group out after the congregation opened without a permit. But then the state, within two weeks of the order, allowed the congregation to stay after the property owner made repairs.

“We weren’t surprised with the condition,” Knudsen said. “We were surprised they occupied it under those conditions. Any reasonable person who looks at the facility would not want to put children in there.”

The focus now shifts to stopping the group from occupying the building next season.

The state attorney general’s office is seeking a permanent injunction and the congregation faces fines of up to $19,500. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23.

“Based on my observation, a significant amount of work needs to be done,” Knudsen said. “It may involve gutting a building. They may decide it is just not economically feasible to fix the building and level them or remove them.”