What is the OCMA and what do they do?

Campwoods Campgrounds is a unique, beautiful and historic community of forty-five small homes on approximately seven and one half acres. The Campgrounds was established back in 1831 when families pitched tents across the property and attended Bible studies, revival sessions, and Sunday services. The Ossining Camp Meeting Association (OCMA) owns the land in Campwoods Grounds. The name under which the corporation was originally formed was Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the City of New York.  OCMA was formed by a special act of the New York State Legislature, Chapter 462 of the Laws of New York of 1867.  The name of the corporation was changed by special act of the legislature in 1947.  OCMA is a religious corporation as defined in subparagraph 2 of the Religious Corporation Law.   Since OCMA is not a church, there are no congregants, nor are there shareholders.  In an effort to maintain the spirit and history of OCMA, religious services are held during the month of June.

OCMA is comprised of the Board of Trustees. To be a member of the board of trustees one must reside in Campwoods Grounds. There are nine trustees each with three year terms. Three trustees are elected annually by Campwoods Ground residents at the OCMA town hall meeting in May. While the OCMA is a religious corporation, its trustees and, therefore its tenants reflect the diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious make up of Campwoods Grounds.

The relationship of the OCMA with home owners is that of landlord and tenant. The home owners lease the land from the Association. The leases accommodate mortgage terms for 35 years and are usually renewed in 35 year terms thereafter. Home owners pay Village, Town and School taxes on their single-family homes to the Ossining Tax Collector while OCMA is taxed on the land.  Subsequently, each home owner pays a proportionate share of the land’s tax to OCMA. There is one water meter in Campwoods and the Association is responsible for the water and sewer bill. Maintenance of the grounds, such as communal lawn care, snow plowing, tree pruning, etc., is taken care of by the OCMA. These fees, including land taxes, water & sewer bills, and ground maintenance, are combined into an estimated annual expense (budget) with each homeowner paying the combined fee as a flat monthly rate based upon their individual plot’s percentage of the total acreage. At the end of the year, the actual annual expense report is disclosed to all the homeowners.
          

As a primary homeowner, one can also receive a “Basic STAR” School Tax exemption [on their home’s tax] and would be entitled to have a School Tax deduction if a STAR application is submitted to the Town Tax Office (e.g. if your total taxes were $3,600 and school taxes were $1,400, then $1,400 would be deducted resulting in an actual tax amount of $2,200).

Home owners are responsible for water pipes and sewer pipes within the confines of their ground plot, while the Ossining Camp Meeting Association is responsible for water and sewage on communal property. The community members are expected to abide by the rules and regulation established by the OCMA. These documents, as well as the OCMA bylaws, may be found on our webpage at http://campwoodsgrounds.com/.

Legal and Additional Fees

Sale of Cottage: Payable to Ossining Camp Meeting Association

Payable by Purchaser – New Lease                                        $475.00

Payable by Purchaser – Reserve Fund                                    1.5% of Purchase Price

Payable by Purchaser – Accountant Fee                                 $250.00

Payable by Seller – Transfer Fee                                             $250.00

Lease Renewal (due every 35 years): Payable to Ossining Camp Meeting Association

Payable by Tenant                                                                   $475.00

New Lease (due if refinancing): Payable to Ossining Camp Meeting Association

Payable by Tenant                                                                   $475.00

Legal

Legal fees of Wormser, Kiely, Galef & Jacobs LLP in connection with the preparation of lease and related documents, and preparation of closing documents to be submitted to the Association, to be paid by the purchaser. Wormser, Kiely, Galef & Jacobs charges on an hourly basis. The current billable rate for the attorney principally responsible for these matters is currently $280.00 per hour, and this rate is subject to change. Any work done by the paralegal will also be charged. The current rate for the paralegal is $90.00 per hour, and this rate is subject to change.

Financing Your Home

Due to the unique nature of Campwoods Grounds, some banks have difficulty offering mortgages. Past homeowners have utilized Bank of New York and Webster. The Webster representative most homeowners utilized was Cary Bloom. Cary has now left Webster but still assists homeowners in finding appropriate lenders. His information is as follows:

Fairfield County Bank
CARY BLOOM
Senior Mortgage Officer
Phone #s:  914-693-9185 or
914-450-2169 (cell)      
Fax #:  914-674-1983
Cary.bloom@fairfieldcountybank.com

** The OCMA does not receive from Fairfield County Bank or Cary Bloom any financial benefit, or any other benefit, from any current or potential future tentant of Campwoods Grounds.

Refinancing Information