GELN SPEY, NY — Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, which provides camping experiences for children with cancer and other illnesses, received in excess of $5 million in donations this year. Neighbors wonder why they don’t spend some of that money fixing their septic system, which, they say, smells so bad on summer days that they can’t open their windows or enjoy the outdoors.

That’s one complaint among several. They also complain that the helicopter rides provided to the children on alternate Fridays are dangerous and shatter the peace of their otherwise tranquil neighborhood, and on special-event days, the camp has sought to alter the flow of traffic.

This year, perhaps recognizing that the neighbors are being unduly inconvenienced, before most of the staff departed for the season, the camp gave $50 gift cards to some of the neighbors. At least four of those neighbors said they would reject the cards because they aren’t about to be silenced or bought for $50.

Mercedes Schneider, who over the years has been one of the most vocal critics of the camp, said she wouldn’t accept the card if it were for a million dollars. Since 2004, Schnieder has complained to every official and government agency she could think of, including the governor’s office, the state office of the attorney general, the New York State Department of Health (DOH), the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration (over the helicopter rides), and so far none has been able to compel the camp to mitigate the ill effects of the camp’s sewage system, which according the documents from the (DEC) empties into an “unnamed tributary of the Delaware River.” Christine Westermann, who is with the DOH office in Monticello, said that no issues arose during the annual inspection of the facility this year.

In any case, Schneider is not alone in her assessment of the problem. Her neighbor Andrew Chiciak and another neighbor, Anna Kapzcak, have confirmed the complaints about the odor and the septic system. A camp benefactor named Harvey Bookman gave the camp $900,000 to build a new sewage treatment system, and earlier this year was described in a story in a New York City tabloid as being upset, because the sewage system has not yet been addressed. He threatened to take the camp to court. Schneider and the other neighbors want to give their gift cards to Bookman to thank him for what he has been trying to do.

After waiting more than a decade for action, the neighbors are skeptical that the camp will ever actually address the issue, but there is some movement on the matter. The camp has applied to the DEC for a permit to expand its wastewater treatment system. The camp currently has a permit to house up to 332 people at the facility and discharge 17,500 gallons per day of treated sewage into the creek. Neighbors say the camp routinely houses up to 600 people per day, and that is a big cause of the problem with the sewage facility, although the camp denies this.

In any case, the permit would allow the population of the camp to expand to 846 people over the next five years, and the amount of discharge that could be dumped into the creek would jump from 17,500 gallons per day to 45,000. A document from the DEC says it has made a “tentative determination to approve the application” and is accepting comment from the public. The document also says the project “will not have a significant impact on the environment.”

The DEC is accepting comment from the public until October 9. Comments must be submitted in writing to Rebecca Crist, NYSDEC, 21 S. Putt Corners Rd., New Paltz, NY 12561.