LIBERTY, NY — Some 90 people filed into the Liberty Senior Center on April 3, many to speak in favor of one-year moratorium, with two possible three-month extensions, on the establishment of new summer camps in the town.

One proposed summer camp project on Castle Hill Road was mentioned by several speakers. It would be built on a 36-acre parcel owned by the town clerk Laurie Dutcher, and is in the process of being sold to be used as the site of a summer camp.

It’s a horseshoe-shaped parcel that entirely surrounds a five-acre parcel owned by resident Anne Gadziala and her husband. Gadziala told the board she is concerned that her property value would be damaged by the establishment of a summer camp, and she is also concerned about emergency-vehicle access to the neighborhood and other safety issues.

Jay Zeigler, an attorney who represents the proposed summer camp on Castle Hill Road, said the proposed moratorium was not sustainable because under state law it must come in response to an “actual emergency.”

A couple of different residents said the town is in an emergency situation because of taxes. Summer camps that are run by tax-exempt organizations such as religious groups or the Boy Scouts do not have to pay town taxes, and it is believed that the proposed camp will seek such an exemption. Resident John Nichols said, “We are in crisis mode; our tax base continues to drop. We lost $5 to $7 million last year; it looks like we’re going to lose another $5 million from the tax base this year.” So, he said, even though total school and town taxes remain even or decrease a bit, taxes on individual properties still increase because other properties are becoming tax exempt and moved off the tax rolls.

This notion was later partially confirmed by town board member Russell Reeves who said he was in favor of the moratorium. He said, “I wish it was otherwise, but unfortunately our resources are limited and our taxpayers are stressed. It was said and it’s true we lost $7 million of assessed value.” Reeves also owns property on Castle Hill Road.

Reeves said the town needs the time the moratorium would provide to come up with a definition of a summer camp. He held up a picture of a two-story building that is being proposed as a summer camp. He said, “This does not look like a summer camp in my opinion… it’s housing… It has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, separate washer and dryer. The planning board has asked us repeatedly for a definition on what a summer camp is.”

Further, on the legality of moratoria on development, there is currently one in the Town of Fallsburg that is ongoing. There was one in the Town of Bethel in 2006 that was adopted as the board sought to update its comprehensive plan, and that moratorium withstood a challenge and was upheld in court.

Council member Dean Farrand said the Zoning Review Committee in 2012 was asked to look into summer camps and nonconforming uses, but the request was met with “resistance, blocking … this latest proposal in front of the planning board has just brought this issue back to life.” He said the moratorium seeks to freeze what’s happening with summer camps in the Rural Development District, “so that we can finally look at it the right way, and decide what’s best for everybody.”

Supervisor Charlie Barbuti has also indicated in a published report that he supports the moratorium.

The board will not vote on the question until it receives input from the Sullivan County Department of Planning which is tasked with reviewing the local law that will allow the moratorium to go forward. That is expected within 30 days.