PHILLIPSPORT, MAMAKATING – Illegal ATV activity, dumping on private property, and trespassing were at the forefront of last Tuesday night’s public comment at Mamakating Town Hall, as two residents pushed for increased law enforcement and accountability.

Randy Zimmerman, a Red Hill Road resident whose family has called the area home for generations, said conditions on and around the derelict Homowack Lodge property have worsened in recent years.

“We’ve taken care of this area for over 100 years,” Zimmerman told the Mamakating Town Board. “We love it here, but what’s going on now is just dreadful.”

Zimmerman, who described a lifetime working in local trades and maintaining property in the area, said the issue became impossible to ignore after repeated complaints from his daughter, Tara, about ATV traffic in the woods behind their home.

After initially putting the issue aside, Zimmerman went to see the situation for himself. What he found, he said, was a “large, uncontrolled gathering.”

“I walked into a scene like something out of Woodstock,” Randy recalled. “There were people everywhere, music blasting, ATVs going nonstop.”

Zimmerman said the riders were not only using the former Homowack property, but also traveling along public roads such as Red Hill Road and Philipsport Road. He also raised concerns about some riders appearing to be minors and referenced recent accidents in the area.

“There’s been a couple of serious injuries already,” Randy said. “It’s dangerous.”

Open fires were another concern, particularly given seasonal burn bans and the proximity to wooded areas and nearby homes.

“There were fires going,” Randy said. “That whole hillside could go up.”

After attempting to disperse the individuals through conversation, Zimmerman contacted law enforcement. While State Police did not respond, two Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputies eventually arrived.

“They told me, ‘That’s all we’ve got,’” Randy recalled, expressing concern over what he felt was a limited response given the size of the gathering.

Town officials acknowledged the concerns but emphasized their limited authority, noting that the activity is taking place on privately owned land.

“We hear you. It’s a public issue, except that it’s private property, and that kind of excludes the town from going in and doing anything,” Town Supervisor Peter Goodman explained. “It becomes a police matter.”

Goodman added that he would follow up with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office to seek increased patrols and enforcement in the area.

Addressing the board via Zoom, Tara Zimmerman expanded on the broader impact the situation has had on residents’ quality of life.

“People are afraid to go outside of their homes,” Tara said. “This has been going on for two years now.”

She described constant engine noise, frequent large gatherings, and ATV riders traveling beyond the property and into surrounding areas. She also raised concerns about garbage dumping along Red Hill Road, questioning who is responsible for cleanup.

“Who’s taking care of that?” Tara asked.

She also questioned the lack of arrests despite what she described as clear violations, including trespassing and operating ATVs on public roads.

Citing the Sheriff’s Office’s stated focus on “quality of life” enforcement, she called for greater attention to the issue.

“This is not the quality of life I remember in Sullivan County,” Tara said.

Goodman reiterated that while the concerns are valid, enforcement responsibility ultimately falls to law enforcement agencies due to the property’s private ownership.

A follow-up meeting between the Zimmermans and Councilman Matt Mordas was planned to further discuss the issue and explore possible next steps.

For residents like Randy and Tara, however, the need for action remains urgent.

“We’ve got a beautiful town here,” Randy said. “We just want to maintain it. I wouldn’t want to live any place else.”