Community Corner
Day Camp Opponents Plan Fundraiser Yard Sale
Neighbors challenging a day camp proposed in North Sea raise money for legal fund.
Residents of North Sea fighting plans for a day camp abutting Little Fresh Pond will hold a yard sale Oct. 20 to help pay for attorney's fees and legal fees.
The Little Fresh Pond Association had a major victory in March when the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals determined that Jay Jacobs' proposal to turn a former tennis camp into a day camp with staff housing would require a variance to proceed — a layer of approval that can be very difficult to obtain. But now Jacobs, who operates multiple day camps, including Hampton Country Day Camp in East Hampton, is seeking that variance.
The pond association and other community groups aligned with the cause are trying to raise money so they can continue to challenge the day camp application.
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The opponents cite increased traffic, development and noise, and pollution to the Little Fresh Pond, where the DEC has already classified aquatic life as "threatened."
Speaking in front of the Zoning Board of Appeals back in Oct. 2011, Jacobs said, "This is the best use for their piece of property. It operates eight to 10 weeks for the year, different from a home project, which would have multiple homes that would operate all year long.
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Jacobs sued Little Fresh Pond Association President John Barona and Vice President John Gorman for defamation in October 2011, but law firm Phillips Nizer LLP took on the case pro bono, so it did not cost the men anything or add to the pond association's legal costs. A state Supreme Court Justice dismissed the case in July, calling it "patently frivolous."
For the yard sale, the pond association is seeking donations of kitchen and housewares, holiday decorations, furniture, blankets, towels, books, jewelry, handbags, gently-used clothing, shoes and coats, vases, lamps, children's toys, books and clothes, decorative items, art work, and baked goods, snacks and jams.
Those wishing to donate items may drop them off on Oct. 19 between noon and 8 p.m. at the North Sea Community House.
The yard sale will also have a handmade crafts table and silent auction.
It begins at 8 a.m. Oct. 20 at the North Sea Community House and anything left after 2 p.m. will be marked down significantly, organizers said. It ends at 4 p.m.
