State Weighs Settlement Camp Transfer

Says it must first study environmental impact New York State said it must draft an Environmental Impact Statement and hold public hearings before it can gift the University Settlement Camp to the City of Beacon, according to documents released this week. Last October, the City Council passed a resolution asking state parks to transfer the Settlement Camp, which is part of the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve. Nothing in the state's draft scoping document — a first step toward an Environmental Impact Statement — indicates that it is unwilling to do so. The University Settlement Society of New York sold the 51-acre property, originally established in 1914 as an idyllic summer camp for children from low-income urban families, to the state in 2007. The city manages the site through a 20-year, no-cost lease that runs to November 2027. In 2015, the City of Beacon opened a municipal swimming pool and, two years later, the Recreation Department launched Camp at the Camp, a signature offering that serves 150 Beacon children every summer. The city, however, has been reluctant to commit too much money to a site it does not own, and decades of deferred maintenance have left the property in what the state calls "fair to poor condition." Significant investment is needed to stabilize and repair buildings, install updated septic tanks (or tie into Beacon's sewer system), install a modern water distribution system, renovate the pool and improve roads and drainage. Across an expansive meadow, timeworn cabins from the original camp sit in the woods. The structures still used on the property have no insulation or heat. Because it does not own the property, the city must seek written consent for even routine undertakings, such as improvements or alterations or executing sub-leases. Some of the buildings at University Settlement Camp are dilapidated and unusable. Others, although in use by the city, need significant repairs. (Photos by J. Simms) According to the documents released this week, the state parks department believes a transfer would positively affect open space and recreation and improve the property. It also would be consistent with community plans and character and would not have negative environmental impacts. The only potential for a negative effect would be to historic resources, it said. According to the scoping document, the Settlement Camp is eligible for inclusion in the National or State Register of Historical Places because it is "associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns in our history." State law requires a deed covenant to protect "historic character-defining features." At a minimum, that would require a new owner to consult with the state before undertaking work that could impact historic features. Although they are not identified in the scoping document, the city would be prohibited from destroying or altering certain buildings; the site's "setting" could not be altered; and no visual elements could be introduced that are "outside of character of the property." Mayor Lee Kyriacou said on Wednesday (Sept. 16) that he's not concerned about such limitations. "The state is just following its procedure," he said. "Many of the buildings at University Settlement are dilapidated; some are worth preserving."