Since Camp Babcock-Hovey has been on the market, interested buyers have been looking. The official cost/value of the nearly 300-acre in Ovid land hasn’t been released yet, though.
“What’s a half-mile lake-frontage worth?” said Stephen Hoitt, Excecutive Director and CEO of Seneca Waterways Council, Boy Scouts of America. “There just isn’t a great comparable. Camp Barton, is the Boy Scout camp that belongs to Binghampton . . . That Camp, the State is purchasing that. That actually is being split between two buyers. They haven’t made a public announcement on the sale price on that yet.”
But based on the original estimates, Hoitt thinks the property will sell for $9-12 million.
Related: Scouting community reacts to impending sale of Camp Babcock-Hovey in Ovid (video)
Hoitt says the Seneca Waterways Council is not in negotiations with anyone right now. No one has put a physical offer in front of them, yet.
“It hasn’t evolved that far,” he added. “We have given tours to a number of State agencies, a number of private organizations, other non-profits, and developers. We have several that we anticipate making offers that have communicated they have an intention to do that. Most are waiting for the Camp Barton number to become public. Depending on that one lands depends on this one. Barton is literally half of the Hovey property.”
So what’s next for the property?
“It is possible that you’d have a developer buy it,” Hoitt explained. “That would almost break my heart. Because it is a beautiful property. In a perfect world, if the stars and moon align, someone that has another non-profit that’s looking to expand their camping operations, or in this case the State, whether it’s the DEC or the parks groups would be the two most likely entities there. Or even a private group. We gave a tour to a group that was really into glamping. SO they’re kind of looking to develop that but would still allow for scout groups to use the property.”
Hoitt said once offers are official, it could take a year or more to negotiate.
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].