ONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. -- It's a place on White Lake that many consider a treasure in the Adirondacks.
"I grew up in the summers on White Lake, and we enjoyed the peacefulness of the Lake, the getaway part of it from the city," said Jeff Lyman, who owns property near the former Camp Russell.
However, when enrollment dropped at Camp Russell, it was time for changes.
"I was very concerned when it went up for sale. I wished I could afford to buy it when it went up for sale," Lyman said.
Mark Kane purchased the Camp Russell property.
"I attended Camp Russell when I was a kid many years ago,” Kane said. “I have been part of the Adirondacks ever since I was eight years old, because my uncle owned a camp on Fourth Lake, and now I own a camp on Fourth Lake."
At a public hearing in Forestport, Kane explained his hope to sell the property in lots -- eight lots on the water, and another not on the water.
"I decided that based on the current price, that I could effectively subdivide it and put some luxury lots here on White Lake," said Kane.
"If the Boy Scouts aren't gonna use it anymore, then it might as well be a nice home on there," Lyman said.
Kane said he wants the lots to be used for homes, but a property for commercial use isn't out of the picture.
"I don't want to restrict myself either, if somebody wants to put in a doctor's office; but certainly not condominiums, certainly not manufactured housing," he said.
He also said that some have already expressed interest in the lots. Kane needs approval from officials in Forestport to move his plan forward.
The subdivision issue will be brought up again at their meeting next month.