A Schuylkill County golf course has created a petition to take back land they say is being covered with piles of dirt to prevent parking and access to their state park land.

White Birch Golf Course & Restaurant in Barnesville posted the petition on its Facebook page on Monday in which they requested the intervention of the state senator, state representative, and the governor “to correct the impediment and injustice to the patrons, golfers and families of White Birch Golf Course.

“For over 60 years, this well-established business has utilized the 2.5 acre property for parking. As a matter of fact, the property in dispute was owned by the Godshall family, the previous owners of the golf course and restaurant. “The Godshalls sold the property to the Commonwealth of PA and their original home was the first office of the State Park.

“The new leasing proposal the bureaucrats and DCNR attorneys have given to White Birch is financially prohibitive. It will cost White Birch over $100,000 initially and then a lease of over $5,000 per year with an escalating clause. This proposal will be upgrading property, that all the taxpayers who utilize this establishment for outdoor recreation, eating and socializing, own. We the taxpayers own this property, not DCNR or General Services.”

The post continues, “It is taxpayer’s property. Please implement the old lease agreement that was in place for over 60 years or transfer the property over to White Birch.

“With any questions, concerns, or comments, we urge you to reach out to Senator (Dave) Argall, Representative (Jamie) Barton, or Governor (Josh) Shapiro.

Randy Kurzinsky, owner of White Birch Golf Course & Restaurant, said Thursday he purchased the property in February 2022.

Kurzinsky said the most recent lease from the previous owners and DCNR was in 1989.

“And the agreement was we could use that land for parking as long as we mowed the grass, police the land, clean up the litter, if there is any, and aerate the beach at the park,” Kurzinsky said. “It was a standing agreement; before that it was just kind of a handshake agreement.”

Kurzinsky said that when he first bought the property, he was approached by the park manager, who said he wanted some improvements.

“We were all on board with that,” he said. “Then there was talks of getting a highway occupancy permit; on top of that, they said you have to lease the land.”

Kurzinsky reiterated that the previous lease was from 1989 “and it wasn’t evaluated until I bought the course.”

“We tried to go through the proper channels,” he said. “They wouldn’t budge, so we had to go the petition route.”

Kurzinsky said time is of the essence.

“We have big tournaments coming up in April,” he said. “On our side of the street, we dropped 12 trees, and we might have to shorten a hole on the course, but we’re hoping not to do that.

“We’re asking for just a fraction of land that was used by the previous owners. On top of that, we have the Schuylkill County Cross County Championship; we never charge them for that, we do that for them, we do that for the county, (and) that’s something we might not be able to do this year because they took this land away.”

“Every day they’ve been coming with dump trucks of dirt and leaving it there to block any chance to go there and park. I just want 2.5 acres.”

Contacted Friday afternoon, Wesley Robinson, press secretary, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, noted that “the former lease agreement in place between the previous owners and DCNR no longer complies with current requirements and statutes we must consider for all lease contracts.

“DCNR always strives to accommodate reasonable land use requests and is continuing to work with White Birch Golf Course and PennDOT to accommodate their parking needs while addressing public safety concerns and applicable legal requirements,” Robinson said.

“Ultimately, White Birch Golf Course informed DCNR that they would not seek a necessary agreement with the Department or apply for a Highway Occupancy Permit, as required by PennDOT. White Birch Golf Course said that instead, they would be building a parking lot on their own property.”