Historic mansion turned event center could use a whole lot of water

About 365,000 gallons a year. Under a best-case scenario for Rushmore Estate, that’s how much water the event center would use if the venue can successfully book a wedding with 100 guests, every day, once it opens. It’s a lot of water usage for an area that reportedly has none to spare. Thankfully, Rushmore Estate says it’s more likely to use, according to its representatives, three to five gallons a day, putting them at 1,825 gallons a year as currently configured with the mansion’s two bathrooms.

The Woodbury Village Planning Board wants to be cautious, though, because of the area’s water shortage. So the board is using the DEC estimates of water conversation for similar-sized operations, with the closest in this instance being a banquet hall. Although nowhere as big as a banquet hall, the village planning board is asking Rushmore Estate to provide an estimate of its water usage assuming it did book 100 guests, every day, for a year, which is where the 365,000 gallon figure comes from. This sort of conservative estimate provides the planning board with the ability to plan for any potential issues that may occur with that much water being used over a four- to five-hour period.

Rushmore Estate is currently used as a bed & breakfast at 14 Castleton Road in Highland Mills, located just off Brigadoon Boulevard. Brigadoon Boulevard connects with Route 32. The mansion was built by Charles E. Rushmore in 1908. Rushmore “discovered” Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills on stolen Lakota land. (The Lakota in turn stole the land from the Cheyenne in 1776.) One other point of concern raised by the Planning Board was the use of Ice House Road as an entrance, with the road potentially not being ready for heavy use by emergency vehicles. There are planned upgrades to the road, made by the project’s developers, to make sure the road is ready in the event of an emergency.

Other Business

A common problem in the area appears to be developers and builders who think no permit is needed to remove trees, shrubs, and other environmentally important items. That was the case with 14 Apple Hill Road in Highland Mills. Here, according to property owner Joel Mann, the building inspector was “unaware” that a permit was needed for trees and shrubs to be removed from the property. Mann is also the project planner for Veyoel Moshe Garden, the 1,600-unit condo complex currently under construction on Nininger Road.

Mann stated they have no record on how many trees were taken down, telling the planning board that “it was not many.” Natalie Barber, the planning board engineer, pointed out that in the previous appearance by Mann, in the original subdivision approval there is a clearing line / restriction on the property. The planning board has asked that Mann add that clearing line to his current plans to prevent further error. Barber suggested the board ask Mann to also show what has been cleared to date, to see if the work has complied with the board’s request.

The village board attorney, Kelly Naughton, mentioned three concerns the planning board has with this project’s impact on the environment. The board stated its main concern was making sure the construction didn’t cut further into the buffer surrounding it. The board requested that Mann plant six trees in the buffer to make up for what was removed in order to obtain approval for completion of his project.