A fishing camp in Franklin Township is temporarily closed after a cease-and-desist was ordered for operating outside of its limits.

Resident Tom Lawler, of Mill Run Drive in the Sawmill Estates, told township supervisors at their most recent meeting he’s concerned that a fishing camp was operating without a permit.

Lawler said he previously filed Right to Know paperwork in December 2023 concerning the Fazenda Fishing Camp Land Development Plan at the former Kriss Pines site, 469 Forest St.

“Many of the things that I spoke of on Dec. 19, (2023) still hold true, I find that very disappointing,” Lawler said. “I stepped away to see if the township would fulfill the duty of government, and that’s to protect the citizens first and foremost.”

Lawler said he filed Right to Know paperwork Sept. 30, but has not received a response, so he couldn’t officially say or address everything because he doesn’t have the facts from the RTK that he filed.

He said Fazenda Fish Camp, operated by Crazy Trout LLC, is located right across the street from Sawmill Estates.

“Everything they do, we hear,” Lawler said of the 100-acre property. “We said we’re OK with them doing what they’re doing.”

Lawler noted that they previously said they were going to be a 50-member private fishing camp with five to 10 cabins, where they would be selling or renting those cabins to people of big money, but that it was going to be a private high-end fish camp.

“It is nothing of that nature right now,” he said. “We see that they are running and operating a campground, meaning RVs, trailers, pitched tents, they had been advertising on the Internet, most of it in Ukrainian.”

Lawler said that to his knowledge, they are advertising still on Airbnb, under the name Pocono Glamping, not Fazenda Fish Camp, or Crazy Trout, LLC.

“We’re not supposed to be running Airbnbs, that’s a big flag for us,” he said. “And the noise that goes with it.

Lawler said that when he came in to the township office on Sept. 30, he filed a police report based on the weekend before Oct. 6, and that he called the Com Center.

“We had within 10-15 minutes, absolute beautiful silence; we all slept pretty darn good after that,” he said. “I want to thank, because I believe we had our own officer respond; that is awesome.”

Lawler said township police Chief Jason Doll had the noise complaint Lawler filed, and said the fill-in zoning officer was “awesome to deal with.”

He said Pocono Glamping were going to have a fall festival on Oct. 6. Lawler said that on their website, they said that due to unforeseen circumstances, they canceled that weekend and were issuing refunds.

Cease and desist ordered

Supervisor Fred Kemmerer Jr., noted that a Sawmill resident messaged him about asked about he was contacting the person to be the contact for the township and he assured him that would not happen.

Kemmerer Jr. said it was agreed that was outside the purview of what they were allowed to do. The township issued them a cease-and-desist, and corrective actions were taken.

“And when we know it, we’re going to address it, especially when we know that it’s wrong,” Kemmerer Jr. said. “We’re going to go through the proper channels within our municipality to address it, and that was quite evident because the event and I do agree, they were offering $50 passes to come to this concert and this big party, which we all agree, that was not supposed to happen. And subsequently it didn’t happen.”

Lawler said he was under the understanding that the cease and desist letter was written but asked whether it addressed the Airbnb, the Oct. 6 $50 ticket party, operating as a campground, all the things in the township’s Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

Board Chairman Jason Frey said they never completed the conditions, so they should be shut down.

“Maybe it’s a matter of talking to our zoning officer and shut them down,” Frey said. “There was an approved plan that was conditionally approved, so they had to meet the conditions, so we know they didn’t meet them, so they have to be shut down in my opinion.”

Township solicitor Tom Nanovic suggested someone should pull out that file and see where it stopped and see what they need to get and what needs to be done.

“So we need to have someone ascertain exactly what needs to be done and contact them and say you need to do this or you need to stop operating,” Nanovic said.

Lawler then questioned if they should be fined for not having the paperwork done in a timely manner.

Nanovic said if they’re in violation of the zoning ordinance, there may be fines.

“But again, I think the appropriate thing is for whoever the appropriate person is (to) pull out the file, see what needs to be done, final approval and say hey, you need to do this, and until you do that, you can’t operate,” Nanovic said.

Regardless, Lawler said residents of Sawmill hear it, and have been putting up with it.

“I expect government to help protect our citizens,” Lawler said. “We are the citizens that pay big tax dollars in Sawmill.

Lawler stressed that the township doesn’t have a noise ordinance.

“And whether or not you guys support it, I think it should go to referendum,” he said. “We ask that we have respectful neighbors, they are not; Fazenda Fishing Camp, Pocono Glamping, Crazy Trout, LLC, has not been respectful.”

Lawler said he hopes he gets to see the Right to Know paperwork that he asked for, and added that if a permit is granted, he hopes there is an inspection and a report.

Background

In December, Franklin Township’s board of supervisors on a 2-0 vote tabled final approval to the Fazenda Fishing Camp Land Development Plan at the former Kriss Pines site, 460 Forest St. All comments and outside agencies requirements were completed.

That came after supervisors in December 2023 gave conditional plan approval to the plan based on all comments being addressed from Carbon Engineering and from all outside agencies.

The owner/developer, Crazy Trout LLC, said it planned to develop an area of the 100-acre parcel for a private (members only) fishing camp.

According to the plans that had been submitted to the township, the camp would be limited to 50 members and employ five people. Plans stated that the development would consist of a lodge (with kitchen facilities and bar) and 10 private cabins. The existing office, fishing ponds and other outbuilding were to remain, while the existing building (old Klecka Store and office) would be utilized as the office, and the complex would utilize a private well and on-lot septic system.

There would be existing parking and additional parking to accommodate 50 guests and five employees, as the plan stated 55 parking spaces.

Joe Craig, the builder of the lodge, said there would be no guests, and that it would be a members-only club in which they would have to pay an initiation fee.