Public commenter urges trustees to restore public access at Georgia Pond; trustees cite DEC permit limits

Resident Daniel Hayes urged the Stanfintown trustees on July 13 to take steps to restore and maintain public access points to Georgia Pond, saying some shoreline residents act "as if it only belongs to them." Hayes said vegetation and silt have made existing access points unusable and asked the trustees to reopen and maintain them when water levels allow.

The board's chair replied that the culvert at Gerard Point is constrained by a Department of Environmental Conservation permit that currently allows the trustees to open it only in winter. "The rules that the DEC put on that permit only allows us to open it in winter," the chair said, and trustees reported they are pursuing a permit amendment to allow openings earlier in the season so access would remain available through spring and summer.

Trustees and commenters discussed modest infrastructure options to ease launching, including installing rip-rap or a small floating dock near the restaurant area and improving the parking-area launch on Route 27; one trustee noted that a floating dock could sit on dry bottom when the upper pond is low. The board also discussed vegetation management at the 27 parking-area access and agreed to inspect and consider modest shoreline improvements when water rises.

The conversation also touched on broader responsibilities: trustees said they own the pond but not all surrounding upland, and that some access improvements may require village involvement. The chair said the board will pursue the DEC permit amendment and encouraged residents to document specific access points that need clearing.