Engineers Club considers installing fans on its golf courses

Adedamola Agboola

The Engineers Club at Roslyn Harbor is considering an application to install two large electric fans on each of its golf courses to improve air circulation.

“It has been discussed by the club’s board of trustees but nothing has been formally discussed with the village board,” Engineers Club President, Clifford Saffron said.

Village of Roslyn Harbor trustees discussed the possibility of an application at the board’s Feb. 9, but Saffron said were jumping the gun.

“That’s news to me,” Saffron said of the discussion regarding a fan proposal. “I want to make it clear that we haven’t made any formal proposal to the village in regards to the matter.”

Saffron noted that Mayor David Mandell is a member of the Engineers Club board of trustees, which has discussed the plan without reaching a final decision. 

Deputy Mayor Louis Badolato questioned the possible fan proposal.

“What do the fans look like and how loud are they,” Badolato said. “We also need to know how close they’ll be to houses near the golf courses.” 

The trustees suggested that village building inspector Stephen Fellman  check out the kind of fans that would be used on a golf course.

Fllman said the club has been fined on several occasions over the years for down chopping tree branches without getting permission from the village.

“It might be fine to cut the trees but you have to tell us first,” Fellman said.

Saffron acknowledged that the club has cut down trees in the past but said it isn’t an unusual practice for golf courses to do.

“Like every other golf course on Long Island and in New York, we’re always looking for ways to improve air circulation on our course,” Saffron said. “Cutting trees is a trend and we’ve done that on occasions.”

Fellman, who oversees all of Roslyn Harbor’s building and landscaping inspection said anyone who needed to cut down trees for any reason needed to get a permit but the club hasn’t done that over the years.

“You need a permit to cut the trees down,” Fellman said. “We have a Tree Committee and members of the committee go out to see if it’s justified.”

The Engineers Club has been issued fines over the years, he said.

Fellman said the club was also made to replace fences and replant evergreens as buffer along Bryant Avenue. 

“They also added some trees back on the sides of the course that was cut down last year,” he said.

Fellman said on Wednesday that the initial scheduled plan with the club to view what the fans look like was cancelled by the club.

“I got a call today and they said they’re cancelling the trip,” Fellman said. “I don’t know what happened but it won’t be happening.”

Saffron had said earlier in the week that he wasn’t aware of any plans made by the club with the village. 

“Someone from the Engineers Club is going with a staff member of the village to view what the fans look like?” he said. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.”

Efforts to reach Mandell, whose term expires in March and is not running for re-election, were unavailing. 

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