East Hampton Town is in contract to purchase the 4.14-acre Pathfinder Day Camp in Montauk, using community preservation fund money, Councilman David Lys announced at Tuesday’s work session.
The cost is $7.25 million.
The camp, located at 134 Second House Road, has significant frontage on a peninsula that juts into Fort Pond. The parcel abuts other town-owned lands and has been a day camp for decades. It sits on environmentally sensitive land that lies within a Harbor Protection Overlay District, a Water Protection District, and a Scenic Area of Statewide Significance.
The town lists the acquisition’s purpose as open space, recreation, and the improvement of water quality.
“This thing has been the beating heart of Montauk for years with kids going to camp,” Councilman Lys said in a phone call after the meeting. “For parents to have a real good summer camp for kids that is affordably priced is huge.”
This summer, he said, the camp will be run as it has in the past. Going forward, the town will search for a licensee to continue to run it.
The town rarely uses C.P.F. funds to purchase recreational facilities, though in 2018, it agreed to license the use of six clay tennis courts in Montauk to Gotham Tennis.
The town board will hold a public hearing to discuss the potential purchase on May 7.
The parcel is owned by DoubleAl Holdings Corp.
