Concerned residents were drawn to the Gardiner Planning Board’s Oct 27 meeting to hear an application for a proposed dog kennel that could be coming to Denniston Road in Wallkill, though they were not allowed to vocally express their opposition.

“This is NOT good for Gardiner. I will be contacting the [American Kennel Club] for these,” wrote Christine Compeau in the chat.

“This will surely be a detriment to the quiet bucolic nature of the residential area. I love dogs but barking dogs not,” Nancy Geller commented under the application documents.

Wendy Wu, the applicant behind the special permit request, hopes to build a dog kennel on a half mile stretch of the 180-acre property at 163 Denniston Rd. The dogs will be used for work on the Springtown Farm as well as for breeding and commercial sale. In the application, Springfield Farm noted that the kennel will contain 26 separate living spaces for the animals, but in the same sentence wrote that there will be a total of 20 to 30 dogs in the kennel at any one time.

“I’ve worked with livestock guardian dogs for 23 years. I have 3 here myself. I know their needs. I know that they cannot just be in a kennel - they need to be outdoors. I know that 20 to 30 of them cannot all exist harmoniously and much more than this is needed for guardian livestock on that amount of acreage,” said board member Carol Richman. “I think this is a very dangerous proposition. I think it is a cruel proposition for these dogs, but I do think we need to know more.”

Wu and Matt Towne, the engineering consultant, ensured that the health of the dogs’ would be a priority. The kennel would also include an outdoor section with a dirt floor covered with wood chips, straw or hay for comfort and easy cleaning, and two employees would be on site to maintain the facility and look after the animals. The facility itself would be located 230 feet from the nearest property boundary line where only a 200-foot limit is required by zoning law.

Despite the applicant’s adherence to the zoning restrictions, board member Josh Verleun worried that an abundance of larger dogs in such a popular area - located about 1,880 feet from the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail - may be problematic for the neighborhood.

“I will note that I am a neighbor of the property,” Verleun said. “A lot of my neighbors and myself included have dogs that we walk on Denniston along the Rail Trail, so a management plan for aggressive and protective herding dogs is something that I certainly would like to see as part of this application process.”

Verleun argued that Springtown Farmland’s application was incomplete because it had not been certified to have met the Kennel and Dog Control Law requirements, a sentiment both Sterling Environmental Engineering and Building Inspector Andrew Lewis suggested in their written referrals. Town of Gardiner Dog Control Officer Andrew McKee had written on a Facebook post earlier that day that he would “appropriately engage in this matter and report my findings to the town board and town clerk,” adding that he would not reveal his opinion on the matter.

Board member Ray Sokolov pointed out that the community felt “extreme apprehension” about the proposed kennel. Significant opposition for the site, Sokolov said, could become an “explosive issue.”

“This is the first of several meetings obviously. We’re trying to shake out everything that we’re going to need. This is the beginning,” said Chairperson Paul Colucci.

The board set a site visit for Nov. 1 to evaluate zoning, noise and other concerns. A public hearing will be scheduled once the site has been proven to meet all legal requirements.