The September 28 Village of Ellenville Board meeting was well attended, and Mayor Evan Trent noted that many people in the audience were there because of their interest in the village’s parks.

The meeting began with a discussion of the recently awarded $490,000 NY PLAYS grant. Trent said the money could be pooled with a grant from the Gluszak family and an $80,000 grant received from Assemblyman Brian Maher. Together, the funds could allow the village to undertake more extensive work on the Berme Road Park playground.

Several improvements were discussed, including an ADA-compliant surface, new swings and fencing around the entire perimeter of the playground. Trent added that by pooling the funds, the village could reconsider the size of the central play structure it purchases.

When asked whether renderings were available, Trent said the village would first be looking at products offered by several vendors of playground equipment.

The discussion then turned to Stoeckeler Memorial Park and Shawangunk Golf Course, specifically the issue of “alienation.”

What is Alienation?

Because the property is protected parkland, the village cannot simply sell or lease it. Alienation requires action by the State Legislature.

Trent said the board wants to honor the wishes expressed in a 2018 referendum to maintain the property as open space for recreational use. At the same time, the village would like to maintain and refurbish the clubhouse and restaurant, tennis courts and other parts of the property. The main goal, he said, is to preserve the golf course area as open space.

Alienation, Trent explained, could provide a way for the village to find a partner to help manage or operate the property. At present, he said, the village cannot even partner with another entity to share authority over the parkland.

Trent emphasized that the village remains committed to continuing golf course operations. He pointed to significant cuts to village salaries and positions made during the ongoing fiscal crisis as evidence of the financial strain facing the municipality.

The Clerk’s Office lost a full-time position. The Village Manager position went from full-time, at $59,000 a year, to part-time, at $35,000. The Village Clerk’s salary fell from $64,000 in 2017 to $53,000 in 2025. The Streets Department has had a vacant position since December 2025. The village has also discontinued in-house police dispatch.

Trent said the reduced staffing has left the village with limited capacity beyond providing core services.

He praised the current managers of the golf course but said the village lacks the time and resources to address what he called “big business items.” Planning and investment, he said, are crucial.

Trent presented statistics while asking the question, “Who owns golf courses? Are we an outlier?”

Of more than 500 villages in New York, Trent said, only nine own golf courses. Six of those are on Long Island. Ellenville, Alexandria Bay and Endicott are the only other villages outside Long Island that own courses, he said.

Trent also said that in conversations with the Financial Restructuring Board, discussions repeatedly end up with the possibility of dissolving the village.

He emphasized, with the assent of the trustees, that if the property is eventually sold following alienation, the village would be looking for the best possible steward for the property, not necessarily the highest price.

Among potential stewards, Trent mentioned the Town of Wawarsing and Ulster County. He noted that there are 18 town-owned golf courses in the mid- and lower-Hudson Valley and cited Stone Dock in High Falls as an example of a course that has done a good job.

Trent said the village is seeking a conservation easement to preserve the property as open space while looking for a partner to operate the golf course. Potential partners could include a nonprofit organization, a municipal body or a group of individuals.

Community Weighs In

Former Mayor Jeff Kaplan spoke about the circumstances surrounding the village’s decision to step in when the Shawangunk Golf Club was facing closure and the property was at risk of becoming a large development.

Kaplan said it became clear that the town could not move quickly enough, so the village stepped in on its own.

Today, he said, league play brings about 200 people to the course each week. Kaplan noted that the property has uses beyond golf and that many people who use the course also patronize restaurants in the village.

He said he believed selling the property would be a mistake and that it should instead be made into a park.

A letter from Tri-Valley school district golf coaches and parents was read at the meeting, objecting to any sale of the property. One letter explained the importance of the course to local youth and school golf teams.

Ellenville Central School District Superintendent Lisa Wiles also spoke about the course’s importance to the school’s golf program.

“It really is a gem in our community,” Wiles said.

Nancy Rosenstock followed Wiles and spoke about the economic impact of the golf course and the visitors it attracts, including a group that she said comes from New Jersey most weeks.

“We are a community,” she said. “To lose this golf course would be so unfair to the young, the middle and the old.”

Rosenstock said the village administration is not able to operate the course and suggested forming a committee to oversee it, which she said would take some of the burden off the village board.

Trent thanked those who commented and emphasized that the board has made no decision.

“We are certainly open to ideas,” he said, adding that the board would be happy to work with those who have suggestions.

Trent also said there have been offers to purchase the course.

When asked how much money would be needed for someone to operate the course, Trent estimated that it would require hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Another question concerned why taxpayers are being asked to support the course. Trustee Messner said the old clubhouse is currently unsafe to use and that, while the village wants to have the best possible course, operating and improving it is beyond the village’s current capabilities.

Trent reiterated that, for now, the village is examining its options for how the course can be operated and preserved, rather than making a decision to sell it.