KILLINGWORTH, Conn. — The future of a big chunk of land currently used for conservation and educational purposes is uncertain. Deer Lake in Killingworth was put up for sale by the Boy Scouts.
A Connecticut non-profit says the clock is ticking to save it from redevelopment, but another bidder says it shouldn’t be portrayed as a battle of good versus evil.
“Our main goal is to keep the land green,” said Ted Langevin, the President of Pathfinders Inc., who operates a day camp on the Deer Lake property.
Deer Lake is located in Killingworth and is 255-acres of some of the most pristine property.
“Deer Lake is a very special property,” echoed Margaret Streicker, who emerged as the current top bidder.
The Deer Lake property is the subject of an open bidding process. On one side is Streicker. She’s a real estate developer, the CEO of Fortitude Capital and is also a former congressional candidate.
“At the end of the day, there are zoning laws. Nobody is raising 255 acres to build a Walmart. That’s simply not happening,” said Streicker.
On the other side is Pathfinders Inc.
“Any kind of development here concerns me because this is a greenway,” explained Langevin.
So Pathfinders is trying to outbid Ms. Streicker with a grassroots fundraising campaign.
“If the not-for-profit world does show up, and I am encouraging them to do so, I am stepping aside,” clarified Streicker, who said she would not engage in a bidding war.
So far, the Pathfinders raised about $4.5-million from about 700 donors across 22 states and three countries, but they need another half a million dollars by May 1.
“It’s been just such an outpouring from the community,” said Langevin.
The issue has also caught the attention of Gov. Ned Lamont.
“We’d like to make an effort to see if working with the community we can save this for posterity and keep a camp going there. We’re running out of time. I think the Attorney General is talking to the Boy Scouts right now about the nature of the deal,” explained Lamont.
A recent lawsuit served on the Boy Scouts is also part of the equation. It claims the entire property is a designated bird sanctuary that must be maintained. Attorney Keith Ainsworth’s client from Madison filed the legal challenge.
“When you talk about selling the property to a real estate developer who does rather large housing projects that’s probably inconsistent,” said Ainsworth.
If Streicker does win the bid, she told FOX61 she would want to sit down with the state to talk about public/private partnerships, would be slow and deliberate with her redevelopment and has extended an offer to Pathfinders to continue to operate the camp.
“This is not a good versus evil scorched earth situation. This is about multiple stakeholders coming together,” she explained.
Streicker is also a trustee for the Boy Scouts. She claims she has recused herself from all talks about the sale of the property.
Pathfinders told FOX61 that even if they don’t get money up front from the state to boost their bid, they may be able to get creative in how they structure the deal to include possible grants and loans on the back end.
Pathfinders Inc. also says that if they are ultimately unsuccessful, they will return all of the donated money.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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