ELDRED, NY — The Town of Highland Planning Board heard additional public comments on the Camp FIMFO project at an October 26 public hearing, a hearing recessed from the month before.  

Northgate Resorts bought the Kittatinny Canoes campground location in Barryville with plans to renovate it as Camp FIMFO (Fun Is More Fun Outdoors), one location in a chain of family resorts across the country.

Members of the public spoke against the plan at the public hearing, while a few members of the broader business community weighed in, in favor. Comments from the planning board indicated that they had taken comments from earlier public hearings to heart.

So, too, did the revised plans from Northgate for the campsite: according to planning board chair Norm Sutherland, Northgate had removed the mountain coaster from plans for the site, and had removed plans to use blasting during construction.

Members of the public had expressed concerns about both elements of the project at prior meetings. A Northgate representative stated on September 15 that the mountain coaster was not essential to the project. Documents submitted by LaBella Engineers on behalf of the project team state that construction would involve excavation when possible and blasting when not; the updated plan indicates the entirety of the construction will be conducted through excavation and hydraulic hammering.

Transparency

At the opening of the public hearing, Sutherland listed steps he had taken in the past month to audit Northgate’s plans, with the stated intention of providing the public with transparency regarding the planning board’s actions.

The Department of Environmental Conservation sent the planning board a letter outlining the steps Northgate had to take for approval of its stormwater and sewer systems; the town’s website had been upgraded to host that letter and other project information.

Sutherland had talked with planning departments in Texas that had approved previous Camp FIMFO projects there, and had planned a trip to inspect one such location, but was unable to get a flight; he did drive through a nearby Jellystone Campgrounds location, one of Northgate Resorts’ other brands. He also attended other local planning board meetings to get a feel for their processes, and attended a call with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Upper Delaware Council to discuss the NPS’ timeline for review.

The public hearing was extended for another month, until the November 30 meeting of the planning board, giving the NPS time to finalize its review.  

Concerns from the board

At the close of the meeting, planning board members listed their individual questions about the project. Northgate Resorts will have to answer them.

Jeff Spitz had a lengthy list of questions, including:

• What hours of operation will Camp FIMFO keep?
• What number of overnight guests will Camp FIMFO have?
• Will Northgate pledge to have its amenities open to the community?
• How big will the pool be? And is this water included in the figures Northgate submitted for water usage?
• Will Northgate provide a specific breakdown of its staffing plans?
• Will Camp FIMFO include on-site EMT personnel in its staffing plans?
• Will Northgate guarantee Camp FIMFO’s wells won’t negatively impact neighboring wells?
• Will Northgate investigate the traffic impact of Camp FIMFO on the roads between Barryville and Port Jervis, and between Barryville and Bethel?
• Will Northgate list any additional phases to the project, or guarantee there will be no additional phases?

How can you fit into the rural character of the community, rather than having the community make room for you, Spitz asked?

J.T. Vogt asked that more testing be done examining the impact on neighboring wells, questioned the use of the Elgin septic system, and asked about Northgate’s maintenance plans for emergencies with the water systems.

Laura Burrell asked if the camp would include environmentally conscious elements, such as solar or wind power: it would be smart to cater to the environmental consciousness of the youth, she said.

Scott Reed asked for specific figures on the per-night usage before and after the proposed upgrades, and asked how Northgate could provide a financial incentive to make up for the financial costs the town will have to pay.

Sutherland brought up Northgate Resorts’ potential for tax incentives through the Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), a common point of public discussion. He was not a fan of the IDA or incentives, he said; he was pro-business, and could see concessions for sales taxes, but projects should also have to use local materials.

Sutherland echoed as well the comments made by the other members of the board about traffic, EMS, the Barnes Landfill, security and water planning, among other points.

“I’m proud to live in a town like this where there’s so many people that are involved,” said Sutherland, closing the meeting.