East Hampton Town and Suffolk County Try Bid on Camp

A place that has been known for years as a camp for local kids, and more recently, needy children, is now in play for development. The annual fireworks show was a huge social function and fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Harbor Foundation and the East Hampton community. Now it looks like there is a game of hardball going on in the preservation efforts between the listing agent and the County/Town.

The "union" that is referred-to is most likely the Local Union 3 of the IBEW which used Bayberry Land,(see: History Of The Fabled Bayberry Land )a 314-acre estate with a 28-room mansion and milelong beachfront on Peconic Bay in Southampton. Bayberry Land was purchased in 1949 by the Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry in New York City as a resting and learning center for members of Local Union 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. No expense was spared in refurbishing the buildings, while every effort was made to retain the estate's natural beauty. In August 2001, the property was sold for $45,000,000 and The Sebonic Golf Club has been created, which is an organic golf course with memberships offered at $650,000. They have been looking for a replacement ever since; two years ago, they half-heartedly looked at the Maycroft Estate in North Haven, a 45 acre waterfront estate owned by the Episcopal Dicoses of New York and stuck in litigation with the Order of The Children of God for over a dozen years. During that time the 14,000 sqft, 115 year old structure went into decay and was the home of racoons and other wildlife. We had Maycroft listed for $25,000,000.

The other "religious institution" might be a Synagogue out of Great Neck, NY. They also were trying to buy Maycroft, but fell short on their offer because they were being represented by an agent who was more worried about his commission than making the deal happen.

The estate eventually was purchased by a hedge fund manager out of New York City for $19,000,000. He and his wife have reportedly sunk over $10,000,000 into the badly-decomposed mansion and the property, actually moving the house to have a more desirable relationship with the waterfront, sculpting the landscape and moving and newly planting hundreds of trees and bushes on the property.


What will become of Boys & Girls Harbor? See the Southampton Press account below of the camp negotiations:
Town and County Try Bid on Camp