Nine Mile Island Youth Camp in limbo after permit denied

Benjamin Joe, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

May 24—The Nine Mile Island Youth Camp has been a place for groups to camp since the 1950s. Today, however, it isn't clear whether paying scouting groups will be able to camp there this season or be reimbursed deposits paid for the privilege.

In April, the Town of Pendleton denied the Nine Mile Island Youth Camp Inc. its permit on the grounds that it needed a cleanup in order to get back into compliance with the Niagara County Health Department.

This was a surprise to Nine Mile Island Chairman Mike Zimmerman, who in a long email on April 10, blasted the town for closing the camp down without consulting with himself.

"Again, I find it absolutely inappropriate that we have not been given the courtesy of a request to discuss any of these concerns with the board," he wrote. "I also find it improper that this matter has apparently not been discussed in any open sessions of the town board."

In a document that the US&J accessed by Freedom of Information Act, Zimmerman claimed that he had sent emails as far back as October of 2022 when he emailed the Town Board in regard to Councilman Dave Leible's presentation of photos taken at the camp to the board and his recommendation of closing the camp.

"Let me be clear that we are not disputing the concerns that were raised last night, but rather the manner in which this has been handled," he quoted from an Oct. 11, 2022 email. "... This was not an item that was listed on the agenda, we were never contacted to indicate that there was a concern, we were not given the opportunity to address those concerns before it was presented at a public board meeting, and finally, we were never given the courtesy of being made aware that this would be discussed at the meeting so that we could be involved in the discussion."

Pendleton Supervisor Joel Maerten said before a work session on Monday that he believed that Nine Mile Island Youth Camp had problems with volunteer retention and could not keep up with the maintenance the camp required to be considered a safe environment.

"The issue of margins of liability and risk is increasingly important," Maerten said of the decision to shut the camp down.

Pendleton Town Attorney Claude Joerg said on May 15 that campers could get a campsite reserved through the Town Clerk's Office, much like signing up for a pavilion. Maerten confirmed this, Monday, but said that is not happening right now.

"We're working on the details to allow different organizations, boy scouts and girl scouts, to camp there," he said. "We're trying to make it accessible."

Mike Zimmerman could not be reached for comment.