More war games come to Camp LaGuardia

By Edie Johnson
CHESTER — Phony bandoliered commandos swarmed Camp LaGuardia for three days last weekend, delighting county officials but disturbing the neighbors.

Residents along Greycourt Road in Chester and Blooming Grove, adjacent to the former homeless shelter property, were shocked to see truckloads full of fake warriors setting up camp. Once again, without notice, the property had been leased to Lion Claws, a company that films military simulations and sells the videos.

Orange County arts organizations support the filming, as does county Executive Steve Neuhaus. Lion Claws last filmed at Camp LaGuardia in 2013, and the neighbors didn't like it then, either.

The county's sign at the former Camp LaGuardia site reads "Orange Development Area."

"The county occasionally rents out property to movie companies and others for use as a revenue-generated effort," said Justin Rodriguez, spokesperson for county Executive Steve Neuhaus.

Residents in the quiet neighborhood have been waiting for a resolution to the property's uncertain future since the county purchased it from New York City in 2007.

The neglected, weedy site remains deserted and is filled with hazards, like broken glass and jagged metal.

Some neighbors shrugged, adopting a "boys will be boys" attitude.

But one neighbor called the noise on Saturday "horrendous." Another said that her dog was barking and howling all day, adding that it's "crazy, downright creepy."

Mike, who did not give his last name, lives with his father on Seeley Road.

"It did not bother me as much as it did my dogs," he said. "On the other hand, my son, who lives on Seeley closer to the site, well, they had a lot of commotion over there."

Michelle Murphy said the shots were "deafening," and that her "poor dog is losing his mind."

Barbara Mitchell said the weekend was "terrible."

"We had company and the children were crying," Mitchell said. "What if someone brought a real gun and a stray bullet went into someone's backyard? This is the time of year people have graduation parties and even weddings in their yards. We were going to call the town hall to complain, but we have a new baby here. The least they could do is if they have to have it they should warn people ahead of time."

Her next-door neighbor on Greycourt agreed: "There was a lot of noise. Maybe no one called it in, but there were complaints all around the neighborhood"

Why no warning?It's unclear why residents aren't being warned in advance. Even the town supervisors involved — Alex Jamieson of Chester and Robert Fromaget of Blooming Grove — didn't know there would be a three-day simulated battle against terrorists in their towns.

"That's news to me," Jamieson told the Chronicle. "They must be getting the ok from the county. But it would have been nice to let us know."

Their police chiefs did know, however. The town of Chester police chief, Dan Doellinger, said he was informed by the county on June 8 but said it wasn't his job to inform the community, or to safeguard the site, which is the purview of the county sheriff's department.

The village police chief, Peter Graziano, was informed two days before the event.

Lion Claws simulators armed with Airsoft rifles spilled off the LaGuardia campus onto the Heritage Trail and the surrounding neighborhood. The Heritage Trail is usually busy on weekends, with children roller skating, parents pushing strollers, and senior citizens hiking.

Boost to the economyStill, there's support for the Lion's Claw lease, for the money it brings to county coffers and the patronage it brings to local business.

"The local economy benefitted greatly in those two days in the form of hotels, restaurants and other businesses being filled," said Rodriguez, who said the county received no complaints.

There were tents and picnic baskets on the site, suggesting that some participants may not have ventured far.

"This event has been going on for the past three years I believe," said Jamieson, who also supports the event. "As far as the property being used for this event I don't have any issues. I would also like to point out that the town has never received a complaint from any local neighbors that I know of."

Doellinger said only two complaints came in over the weekend, one to him and one to the Blooming Grove chief.

Lion Claws provides its own security, which the town and county depend on to keep the community safe.

"Once a permit is issued to lease the property, the company operates under the term of that permit," said Rodriguez. "It would be the company's responsibility to provide security."

Lion Claws claims on its website that it has the backing of the U.S. Army Recruitment Command. In their online ad they show some of the "Lion Claws leaders" who are retired military officers. The ad says it's "Breeding Patriots for Tomorrow."

This season their top war game is about two groups of "spec ops" in Eastern Europe. The ad says: "Russia reclaimed Crimea in 2014 while the international community held its breath."

Now the Airsoft groups plan to play checkmate with Russia.

Editor's note: Pamela Chergotis contributed to the reporting of this story.