Hartwick Planning Board Hears Concerns over Proposed Campground

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
HARTWICK

Roughly 25 to 30 Hartwick residents filled the Hartwick Town Hall for the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday night, September 1 to voice concerns over the proposed Goey Straits Campground, a 76‑unit RV resort planned for the hillside across from Cooperstown Dreams Park. The project, designed by Napierala Consulting, calls for prefabricated RV units set on permanent pads with water, septic, and electric service, along with amenities such as a pool and gated entry.

Developers said the terraced layout would preserve views toward the ballfields and that on‑site infrastructure—including a new well, septic systems, and stormwater controls—would meet county and state standards. They also brought in traffic engineer Gordon Stansbury of GTS Consulting, who said his study found “no significant impact from this development,” projecting “about 30 to 40 cars” entering and exiting during peak hours.

Residents strongly disagreed.

Traffic safety on Goey Pond Road and State Highway 28 was a central concern. Amanda Powers said she already stops at the top of the hill because “I don’t want somebody coming over and slamming into me because they come over the hill too fast,” adding that peak‑season backups “line up way beyond Goey Pond Road.”

Daniel Powers said that adding vehicles is going to change the area’s safety profile, saying, “When you start adding a whole bunch of cars…that changes things.”

Water supply and septic capacity also drew scrutiny.

David Petri said “that whole side hill is full of springs…I don’t think it’s a wise move to allow this to take place.” Dennis Elliot, who lives about a mile down the road from the Dreams Park, said his spring “dried up” when the ballpark first opened and worried the new project would “bring that much more in to take out of the aquifer.”

Emergency response limitations were also raised repeatedly.

“We are very limited with the number of people that we have, and I think it’s just going to be impossible to accommodate what’s going to have to be up there,” said Hartwick Town Councilmember Caren Kelsey with regard to the emergency services the town has access and resources for.

Economic impacts were also questioned.

Marcy Birch noted that lodging brings “$225 million…into the county,” urging the Planning Board to consider how to capture revenue and how to boost the local economy.

Several residents asked the committee to consider cumulative impacts, including potential Dreams Park expansion and increased pressure on Goey Pond.

The Town of Hartwick’s Planning Board meets the first Tuesday of every month.