Sea Camps purchase a done deal; public tours set for bay front parcel

Donna Tunney, Cape Cod Times
·3 min read

BREWSTER — The town Wednesday completed its acquisition of two former Cape Cod Sea Camps properties and has scheduled public tours of the bay front parcel on Dec. 11, Brewster Town Administrator Peter Lombardi said in a statement.

The two properties are located at 3057 Main St. (Route 6A), and at 500 W.H. Besse Cartway, off Route 137.

At special town meeting on Sept. 26 and in the Special Election on Oct. 5, Brewster voters approved buying the properties — a combined 120 acres, for $26 million. Voters also appropriated $200,000 for interim operations and maintenance of the properties and another $185,000 for land-use planning.

The overnight and day camp facilities had been operated for decades by the Delahanty family, who closed the camps in fall 2020.

Both properties are waterfront

The Main Street property has 800 feet of beach frontage on Cape Cod Bay and is adjacent to the town-owned Spruce Hill land, with 600 feet of bay shoreline — giving Brewster 1,400 feet of public beach. There are 90-plus buildings on the property, mostly cabins, along with nine tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, boathouses and other facilities.

The bayside parcel was appraised at $15,215,000, and the negotiated sale price was $20 million. That amount will be borrowed and town officials estimated that it adds 25 cents per $1,000 valuation. Over a 30-year loan period, the owner of a home assessed at $600,000 would pay $150 more in annual taxes.

Brewster voters agreed earlier this fall to buy both Cape Cod Sea Camps properties for $26 million. Guided tours of the bay front parcel are set for Dec. 11.
Brewster voters agreed earlier this fall to buy both Cape Cod Sea Camps properties for $26 million. Guided tours of the bay front parcel are set for Dec. 11.

The Besse Cartway parcel has 765 feet of frontage on Route 137 and 1,200 mostly undeveloped feet of shoreline on Long Pond. It abuts 42 acres of town-owned land.

The Long Pond parcel was appraised at $4.2 million and the negotiated price was $6 million. The Select Board proposed using donations of $1.75 million from Brewster Conservation Trust and $1.5 million from Massachusetts Audubon Society, plus water department funds, free cash and short-term debt, so the town could buy the property without affecting property taxes.

See it for yourself

The town is offering guided tours of the bay front property from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 11, according to the announcement. Pre-registration will be required, and a link to the registration website will be available Tuesday on the town website, www.brewster-ma.gov. The tours will be open to Brewster residents only.

A combination of 20 passenger vehicles and 12 passenger vans will be used for the tours, and masks will be required in the vehicles. Visitors will have an opportunity to walk to some destinations as part of the tour and are encouraged to dress for the season — rain, snow, or shine. In case of extreme weather, the storm date is Dec. 12.

Each tour can accommodate about 30 residents and is expected to take approximately 45 minutes. The schedule will allow about 700 visitors to participate throughout the day. The town said there will be additional opportunities in the spring and summer next year for more extensive public access of both properties.

Town officials are planning an outreach campaign to determine the best uses of both parcels.

Doug Fraser contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Brewster completed its acquisition of two Cape Cod Sea Camps properties