Boy Scout Council Reaches Agreement To Sell Deer Lake Property: AG

KILLINGWORTH, CT — The Connecticut Yankee Boy Scouts Council has come to an agreement with Pathfinders, Inc. to sell Deer Lake, according to a statement from state Attorney General William Tong.

The council previously rejected a $2.4 million offer this spring from Pathfinders for the 252-acre property.

Tong said at the time that the Boy Scouts council agreed to postpone consideration of proposals for the purchase of Deer Lake until May 1.

Tong's office had been reviewing questions regarding the legal status of the property and a potential sale to a private developer. Tong's review identified a charitable restriction on one of the six parcels offered for sale that required the land be preserved as “open space parks and/or natural areas,” according to the statement.

Pathfinders is a local nonprofit organization that intends to maintain the property as a camp.

“Deer Lake is a beautiful, undeveloped property, where generations of Connecticut children have spent memorable and impactful summers," Tong said in a statement. "I am pleased that all parties were able to work together to find a way to preserve this Connecticut gem. Over the past few months, I have heard from former campers, community leaders and advocates who all shared a strong desire to preserve Deer Lake. I thank the Boy Scouts and Pathfinders for taking the time to reach this positive resolution.”

The 55-acre wilderness camp and reserve in Killingworth was put up for sale as part of the Boy Scouts of America sex abuse settlement, according to the New Haven Register.

Deer Lake Camp, named in a lawsuit in 2012 as a site where abuse took place, has been appraised at between $3.7 million and $4.2 million, and $2.6 million will go to the Boy Scouts of America to help pay off the organization's $850 million settlement with abuse victims.

See related: Boy Scouts Reject Bid To Preserve Killingworth Property