[Below is the complete, unedited version of the comments submitted by Joseph Levine and Jane Cyphers of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability to the Town of Highland, NY planning board.]

The Upper Delaware National Scenic River Corridor is a national treasure. It should not be turned over to the FIMFO corporation to build a $40 million dollar resort, a resort that the community does not want or need. Monetizing a national treasure will set a harmful precedent in our community.  FIMFO is planning 148 RV park models and 64 permanently placed structures, an aquatic play area, heated swimming pools, bouncing pillows, a mini-golf course, and sports courts, all spread over 220 acres. That sounds like a theme park to us! The 148 RVs are cabin-like structures on wheels that pose as RVs, but in reality they are permanent, not “mobile” homes. These homes will be part of a huge sprawling subdivision within a theme park. This is not only out of character with the Upper Delaware National Scenic River Corridor, but it does not comply with the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Management Plan. This sets a dangerous precedent for similar developments along the river.

What’s next? There’s another Kittatinny property along River Road in Pennsylvania between Skinners Falls and Narrowsburg. In addition, there are other riverfront campgrounds. If FIMFO is passed and this precedent is set, these other properties will become ripe for development of the FIMFO sort.  Once this precedent is established, it will irreparably damage the river basin and the scenic beauty of the shoreline forever. Allowing this project to go through will open up the river to corporate real estate projects.

The FIMFO model clearly cuts out other small family-run businesses that depend on tent campers. The FIMFO patrons will be isolated from the community. That’s what a resort is. Full-service accommodations and amenities are provided by resorts. That is the attraction of a resort. People park their cars and they stay put. Small, family run businesses, including local Airbnbs, will suffer. This huge, out-of-place corporation will siphon money from local businesses. In addition, it will put a tremendous strain on essential emergency services.

These resorts are expensive. These so-called “amenities” cost. The “leave no trace” tent camping model will be no more. My family settled in the Upper Delaware because we were long-time campers and we fell in love with the natural beauty of the river and the area. We stayed at many of the local campgrounds each summer for many years as our children were growing. Our two little pup tents got a lot of use. We wanted to instill in our children a love and reverence for the outdoors. We camped, we hiked, we explored, we rejuvenated. We had simple, yet beautiful and unforgettable outdoor experiences. We had no money for big vacations but tent camping was always affordable and we did it often, three seasons of the year. Camp FIMFO will shut out people, like ourselves, who want to experience and revere nature often with their families. We did not want our kids to think that nature was a “water park” or a “theme park,” and now that we are seniors, we do not want our grandkids to think that either. The scenic beauty of the Delaware River and its gifts must be preserved at all costs for everyone in perpetuity.

With record flooding going on all over the world, to build this resort in a floodplain is insane. The chlorinated pools next to the river and the many septics planned for over 200 structures and the many parking lots, tree clearings and the garbage that will be produced, is a disaster waiting to happen.  And try holding a huge corporation accountable. That won’t happen.

This river is loved and honored because it is beautiful, natural, pristine. It deserves better and so do its inhabitants, both human and wild. A moratorium must be placed on this type of development and an updated comprehensive plan for the river corridor must be implemented immediately.

On November 10, 2024, the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River celebrated its 46th anniversary as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. In November 1978, Congress and President Jimmy Carter added 73 miles of the Delaware River to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Less than one-half of one percent of the nation’s rivers are included in this designation.

“It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

The National Park Service takes this designation seriously and has made its opposition to Camp FIMFO clear. The FIMFO $40 million “renovation” conflicts with the Park Service’s guidelines that manage this scenic river and the river corridor it resides in. After careful review, the NPS have deemed the 148 RVs as “permanent” structures. This, and its obvious out of place character, bans this project from the Upper Delaware River.

Keep in mind, Camp FIMFO is the largest proposed development project ever along the Upper Delaware River. This project has been cloaked as just a renovation of an existing campground but it is anything but. It is a theme park. Just visit the website campfimfo.com and see for yourself. If you open the door to projects like this it will be impossible to close that door.

And tell us, why is this massive out-of-state corporation being offered a tax abatement? Sounds fishy.

Jane Cyphers
jane_skates@yahoo.com

Joseph Levine
jlevine@bonelevine.net

Damascus Citizens for Sustainability
Founding Members