By Clark Judge.
(February 19, 2022) — In what it called “a difficult decision” and “one that wasn’t taken lightly,” the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America has decided to sell the Deer Lake Scout Reservation to a private developer.
The unexpected move was made at a meeting Thursday night of the Connecticut Yankee Council’s Executive Board and announced Friday. Response was immediate, with several persons seeking to protect the 255-acre property as open space characterizing it as “shocking.”
But wait. There’s a catch.
The sale is not final.
In its statement Friday, the Council said it would “consider offers superior to the one being pursued, and any such offers would need to be received by March 31.” In other words … anyone interested in protecting Deer Lake has until the end of March to produce a competing figure.
Or else.
“This is incredible,” state Sen. Christine Cohen said, “These are the Boy Scouts of America, and there is indeed an outdoor code. And you’re going to just disregard all of that for the dollar? It’s really unbelievable to me.
“This is an organization about doing good … and bringing people together … and the love of the land. This is not in keeping with that mission at all. They’re really being untrue to themselves. I’m surprised with this decision.”
So are those involved in the potential purchase of Deer Lake. But the decision is easy to explain: The Connecticut Yankee Council says it has two offers – one from an unspecified developer and one from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a non-profit that seeks to protect Deer Lake as open space. The bids aren’t close – with a gap of approximately $2 million believed to separate the two proposals – and the Council took the higher one.
But why were the bids so divergent? Ah, there’s the question. Each was based on different appraisals. According to sources, the Boy Scouts had the property valued at anywhere between $3.7-4.2 million, while the Trust for Public Land’s appraisal is over $1 million less. That’s a problem, and it’s one that – if not resolved before March 31 – is a deal breaker. Game over.
“I told the Trust for Public Land on numerous occasions that if you’re close, we would accept it,” said Rudy Escalante, president of the Connecticut Yankee Council’s Executive Board. “I don’t know if ‘close’ means a hundred dollars or $100,000, but it at least has to be close. But if it’s not close, it’s an easy decision. And they weren’t close.”
But TPL is bound by laws and policies that govern how it uses both charitable and taxable dollars, and it can’t and won’t violate them. It was deeply invested in preserving Deer Lake, spent months and countless resources trying to negotiate with the Boy Scouts and dug deep to gain a fair-market assessment of the area.
In the end, that wasn’t enough.
“I think there are a lot of folks working on this who are distrustful of the higher appraisal,” said Cohen. “It really feels like they’re over the barrel on this. The Trust for Public Land has been doing this for years and has expert appraisers who come out to properties.
“It’s frustrating and a little bit suspicious that there’s such a wide difference there. Honestly, I think everybody’s hands are tied now by the tight time line.”
They are. There is no indication that TPL can do anything more than it has, and the Boy Scouts made it clear that it’s not enough. They want the money to re-invest in two other properties, Camp Sequassen and Hoyt Scout Camp, and they want it now.
So, with negotiations at a standstill, the Connecticut Yankee Council decided to move immediately … and in a direction that blind-sided Killingworth First Selectwoman Nancy Gorski.
“I’m absolutely disappointed,” she said when reached Friday night. “(The Connecticut Yankee Council) responded to an offer out of disregard for open space and conservation. I am shocked. When I think that this property is in Killingworth, and it’s going to be developed? I am not happy.”
Nor are other political figures and conservationists, many of whom lined up at Deer Lake late last month to voice their support for its protection and preservation as open space. Included were U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, state Rep. Christine Goupil, Cohen, Gorski and members of various conservation groups, TPL and Save Deer Lake.
At that time, the Connecticut Yankee Council seemed so encouraged by Blumenthal’s pledge to seek federal funding that it indicated it was willing to wait on a sale. But after a meeting two weeks ago with his office, the Council did an about-face. It changed its course and its timetable.
“That appraisal pretty much nails everybody to the wall,” said Escalante. “Even his organization gave us no indication it was willing to go beyond.”
And so it was the Council that moved … to a vote.
“This decision by the Boy Scouts is deeply disappointing,” Blumenthal said in a prepared statement. “My office will continue working with the Trust for Public Land and the Killingworth community to work toward a resolution that preserves public access to the camp and trails.
“This pristine open space is a state treasure that should be accessible and open for camping, hiking, fishing and similar recreational and environmental uses.”
It is important to note that the Scouts’ decision has nothing to do with the Deer Lake Day Camp scheduled for this summer. A separate one-year rental agreement was reached last month between the Connecticut Yankee Council and Pathfinders, Inc. a local non-profit steering committee to benefit outdoor educational programs. It keeps the camp open from June through August under the continued direction of Mark and Patty Clifton, with 510 campers signed up since registration opened Thursday night.
However, its future beyond this summer is uncertain.
“The buyer,” said the Scouts’ release, “is allowing the Council to lease the property for at least the next three years to operate it as a camp.”
What has some persons involved in protecting the property intrigued — and, frankly, perplexed — is the announcement that an offer has been accepted to buy the Deer Lake property … but that the offer isn’t binding if a “superior” proposal is made by March 31.
“Very confusing,” said one individual. “It sounds like they’re shopping it around.”
Escalante disputed that interpretation.
“We have allowed (TPL) to bid and continue to allow them to bid,” said Escalante. “If they want to change their bid and move forward, the developer has generously allowed us to put an ‘out’ clause in. That’s where we are.
“We’d love to sell it to the town. It would’ve been great. Everybody would’ve thought we’d be heroes. But the money just wasn’t there. It wasn’t hundreds of dollars. It was millions.”
And, in a nutshell, that is what this is all about: Money. For the Boy Scouts, it was a real-estate transaction … simple as that … and they took the better deal.
So what’s next? No one is certain. The Trust for Public Land has declined comment. Gorski isn’t certain what action the town can … or should … take. And Blumenthal pledged to continue working with the town and TPL to preserve Deer Lake.
But the reality is this: The Connecticut Yankee Council now enters into negotiations for a sale, and the possibility of a deal involving TPL, the state or local entities by March 31 is slim. Barring a last-minute upset, the property is then turned over to a developer … with Escalante saying he has “no idea what their plans are.”
“I do think all hope is not lost,” said Cohen. There’s always the possibility of a large donor coming in, feeling tied to the space and wanting to see the right thing done. But this is so incredibly disappointing and disheartening. I’m just shaking my head. This is not at all in keeping with the Boy Scouts’ mission.
“They heard the public outcry on this. It’s mind-boggling to think this is the direction they’re going and that they moved at this speed. But I don’t want folks to give up. There’s been a wonderful grass-roots effort, and so many people have come together.”
Nevertheless, the Connecticut Yankee Council is moving on. Essentially, it’s now or never for Deer Lake, and the clock is ticking.
“I think we worked with the town of Killingworth as best we could,” said Escalante. “I have a fiduciary responsibility to the Boy Scouts, the youth that are the members. And while I have respect for open land, I have to take care of our organization.”
