All six members of the Village of Lawrence’s Park Commission 22 voted on Oct. 22 to oppose the layoff of eight workers at the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club. The meeting, like all Park Commission meetings, took place at the club.
A final decision could be made at the village board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at Village Hall at 196 Central Ave. in Lawrence.
The layoffs would impact the number of days staff would be available to assist members and services would be limited. The pro shop would be open only four days instead of seven. Club members such as Ken Friedman of Atlantic Beach said he thought everything discussed about the layoffs needed clarification.
“Has the village looked at other ways to save money?” he asked the commission. “Will the driving range be closed? Will there be access through the winter? I just think that four days a week to get clubs is not good. Everything is very vague.”
Robert Weinberg, the president of the men’s section of the Lawrence Golf Club, wrote a letter he sent to the village board to oppose the layoffs. “The Lawrence Yacht and Country Club has become a premier Long Island experience,” he said. “Contracting with Royalton (a catering company) has made it a great experience. Members don’t just pay for the rounds of golf. Reducing the availability to just four days a week is forcing people who have paid their dues to have to make different arrangements. It’s reducing what they’ve paid for.”