ROME — A Planning Board review of a proposed summer camp on Long Pond has been pushed back again after the developer of the project asked that it be taken off the agenda of the board’s October meeting because of a scheduling conflict.
David Porter, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, has proposed a summer camp for boys on land he owns on Beaver Cove off Watson Pond Road at the northern end of Long Pond.
The project was expected to be reviewed at the board’s September meeting, but was postponed until this month to give Porter time to complete a required noise study.
In an interview Monday, Porter said he planned to attend the October meeting, but couldn’t because of a scheduling conflict. The noise survey is complete and will be delivered to the town in plenty of time for review before the Planning Board meeting on Nov. 9, Porter said.
“We are moving forward with the proposed camp,” he said.
Camp Caruso, which Porter said will connect siblings who are being fostered in separate households, faces strong opposition from seasonal and year-long residents nearby who worry about increased noise, disturbance and water pollution. The Planning Board has received dozens of letter from people opposed to the camp, and the issue has become personal and confrontational.
On Monday, Porter said opposition to his project has made him more committed to build it.
“This has turned from something I was excited about to something I am more excited about and more resolute to complete,” he said.
Porter said he changed the planned location of a soccer field to accommodate one of his neighbors. Since he filed the plans, he has been willing to work with abutters and neighbors, but he has been put off by the confrontational attitude his neighbors have taken.
“The stance they have taken, my accommodation for them is eroding quickly,” Porter said.
The proposed Camp Caruso would be set on about 15 acres of a thickly wooded, undeveloped 68-acre parcel that has shoreline on Beaver Cove and Beaver Brook. The proposed camp would include cabins, storage buildings, a dining hall, playing fields, docks and an amphitheater.
Peter McGuire — 861-9239
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