Residents, town leaders push to stop development of former Girl Scout camp in Meredith

MEREDITH — Dozens of people opposed to the purchase of Camp Menotomy on Meredith Neck Road turned out for a selectboard meeting on Oct. 26, following last month’s approved sale of the property, to develop the land into seven lakefront homes.

Camp Menotomy supporters came out in droves, with all seats filled and people standing. They ranged from a former camper who talked about how much the Girl Scout camp helped her, to Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, who told the crowd camp helped shape who he is to this day.

History

Kenney, along with attorney Rachel Hampe of McLane Middleton, brought everyone up to speed on what was going on with the camp property. On Sept. 2, a judge in the Middlesex Probate and Family Court of Woburn, Massachusetts, approved an $18 million sale.

Hampe said if there’s ever a case for the state Attorney General’s Office to step in, it’s this one.

The Camp Menotomy Trust reportedly made a sales agreement for $18 million with Jeremy Martin, owner of Lakes Region Design Group, who intends to develop it for lakefront homes. Part of the plan is about 25 acres would be preserved for recreation, but that’s a far cry from the 95 acres currently there, home of Girl Scout camps for decades.

The Camp Menotomy Trust, based in Arlington, Massachusetts, owns the property, and formerly leased it to Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts for a $1 per year. Declining interest led to the Girl Scouts not renewing the lease.

The deed states the property can only be sold if the Arlington Girl Scouts, or their successors, don’t want to “hire the camp grounds for camping purposes, and if no other organization can be found to utilize the site for camping purposes.”

Eric Carlson, owner and chief executive officer of Camp Quinebarge, in Moultonborough, made a lease offer that would involve a “for-profit or non-profit residential camp for children.”

Sentimental value

Kenney said camps provide a special place where people can “step away from the demands of everyday life.” He called upon leaders to recognize the long-term value it can have, knowing firsthand the type of growth that can come from camp during formative years.

Kenney went to Camp Wentworth, and knows he isn’t alone in reaping the benefits camp provided. He said there are “a few hundred” camps in New Hampshire, and it's important to preserve them.

“I’m a product of camp environment,” Kenney said. “Where you like it or not, I’m a biproduct of the camp.”

He also said the land could provide other opportunities, including for veterans. Bill French, who has been in Meredith since 1986, said there is a second camp, that wished to remain anonymous, interested in the property. He said it would be a camp for health and wellness for children whose parents have died serving in the military. He said Carlson offered them to use the camp from the end of August through the winter.

French spoke highly of Meredith’s patriotism, pointing to weekly gatherings at the POW/MIA memorial at Hesky Park. He went as far as saying they were the most patriotic town in the country, and this was a big draw for the camp.

Jessie Trowbridge went to Camp Menotomy, and was sporting a sweatshirt donning its name. She was up from Massachusetts, and said “this town still has a hold on my heart.”

She recalled times she had at camp as a child, saying “a singing camp is a happy camp, and we were.” Trowbridge said songs she learned there are ones she went on to sing to her own children as lullabies.

While at Menotomy, she learned to build a one-match fire, hiked the White Mountains, did chores, learned to reduce food waste, and fell in love with nature. She also formed her love for education. Years later, her own children went to the camp, and it really hadn’t changed much in the best of ways. They were devastated when it closed.

A slew of other supporters spoke. Bette Higley said residential youth camping is the second biggest income driver in New Hampshire, and important to the economic vitality of Meredith.

Higley said 125 parents come to town to drop campers off, and while in Meredith, they’ll eat, shop and maybe even stay the night, or the weekend. Some love the area so much, it becomes a new destination, or maybe a future home.

“This is big business,” Higley said.

Mark Billings has been a resident for 25 years, and about 20 of those years he has been on the conservation commission. He remembers a similar situation with Page Pond in 2003, and said it took years to sort out. The Page Pond Community Forest was established in 2009.

“Patience is an important characteristic in this,” Billings said.

The land is now home of the town’s largest municipal forest and set of hiking trails. Billings was a longtime school board member. His second passion is education, and the property was a stone’s throw from the school campus.

He worked with the Inter-Lakes School District to have a children’s day on Page Pond. He said it was heartwarming to see how excited the kids were.

“Menotomy is that story, part two,” Billings said.

Billings spoke for the conservation commission and said, “we wholeheartedly support this.”

Kenney discovered Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) actually went to the camp, which he learned at a Governor and Council meeting in North Conway. There, he put high-ranking state leaders, like Attorney General John Formella, on the spot, asking what was going to be done about the camp.

He added a citizen group went to a roundtable discussion with a “wall full of attorneys” to educate themselves.

“As a New Hampshire guy, I don’t like things like this to slide through without public debate and discussion,” Kenney said. “Ultimately, it’s your community you’re going to live in, and you’re going to have to deal with whatever is left there at the camp.”

Kenney said “90%” of Lake Winnipesaukee is developed, and that last 10% needs to be preserved. He wants to protect water quality and natural resources, and doesn’t want to short-change future generations.

Kenney said after speaking with Formella, he can confirm the Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the sale. A key point will be to look at the original trust and its language, Kenney said. He said if trust agreements are just arbitrarily broken, there are bound to be problems with other camps in the future.

“We’re hopeful that the New Hampshire Attorney General Office will step in and enforce the charitable purpose of this trust,” Hampe said.

She urged the selectboard to push the Attorney General’s Office to take action.

Kenney assured the public the approval of the sale “doesn’t determine the fate,” saying appeals are pending. He added the Department of Justice is investigating the sale, as well.

Selectboard support

Selectboard members weighed in, saying they are opposed to development of the land, and will do what is in their power to keep the 95 acres of lakefront property an area for the enrichment of youth, rather than luxury homes.

“This kind of came about because we learned that there was a perception out there that this board was in agreement with what was happening,” Forrester said. “And this board was not in agreement with what was happening. This board didn’t know.”

Forrester said the board reached out to Kenney to educate the members on the issue. The board listened throughout the evening about how much this meant to residents, some who went to the camp themselves, and others who understood the value it brings to children, for years.

Higley, one of the camp’s main proponents, asked the selectboard to make a proclamation. They weren’t ready, but each board member voiced support.

“I support the camp staying as it is,” Forrester said.

Board member Mike Pelczar agreed, saying it is a chance to protect Winnipesaukee, as well. He called the lake the town’s lifeline, and said he supports keeping the area undeveloped, to remain a camp, as was originally intended.

“I’m 110% behind this personally, and I’ll see what we can do legally on the rest of it,” he said.

This earned a round of applause. Selectboard member Lynn Leighton agreed, reiterating “110%” support to keep the camp property what the original trustees intended the land to be.

The feeling was mutual for board member Jim Gregoire.

“I agree,” Gregoire said. “We should be doing something to keep this camp in place. What that is, I don’t know. Whether we can do something stronger than just send a letter to the attorney general, but we need to talk about that.”

Chair Steve Aiken went to Camp Meredith, as did Interim Town Manager Mike Harper, and they both recognized the importance of camp.

“My kids are all camp kids, so we’ve enjoyed them over the years,” Aiken said. “I am a resident on Meredith Neck, and an abutter to Page Pond, so I’m right here with everyone else and we’ll see what we can do to help out.”