Residents press Washingtonville board on event permits, park contamination and RV rules during public comment

Multiple residents used the public-comment period to press the village board on enforcement and maintenance issues including event permits and insurance, an apparent petroleum spill at Elver and Allen Park, drainage problems with new pickleball courts, hydrant-flushing activity, and proposed RV-storage limits in the draft comprehensive plan.

Paul Lines, a resident of Avery Lane, told the board he had observed recurring events in the village square that he said had no permits or insurance and complained that organizers had not appeared before the board. “Somebody’s gonna get hurt down there, and the builders are gonna be on the boat,” Lines said, urging the village to require permits and insurance for events and to charge rental fees when village spaces are used.

Lines also raised an unresolved environmental and safety concern at Elver and Allen Park related to a visible area where grass has not grown after what he described as an oil or diesel spill associated with the carnival operator last year. He urged the board and the Knights of Columbus to pursue remediation or insurance claims against the carnival operator, saying the patch should be dug out and repaired because children play on the field.

On recreation infrastructure, Lines reported water pooling after heavy rain on one of the new pickleball courts and asked whether the pavement contractor should be asked to repair the defect. He said the pooled area was large enough that the court was unusable after rain.

Several residents also asked about hydrant-flushing work and whether particular streets had been serviced, and asked for clarification on a draft zoning provision that would limit RVs to 35 feet and how the plan would treat pre-existing vehicles. A village representative responded that the draft uses the phrase “pre-existing nonconforming” rather than the word “grandfather,” and residents asked whether driveways are treated separately from front-yard storage.

The board did not take immediate enforcement action during the meeting; residents asked staff to follow up on the reported oil contamination, event permitting and insurance status, pavement remediation for the pickleball court, hydrant-flushing verification, and clarification on RV rules in the draft plan.