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Harmony Property Group has purchased the 400-acre plus Camp Montvale property and is giving a local non-profit group the chance to operate a youth camp on the site.

"I'm really excited about what this camp can offer to the kids of Blount County and East Tennessee," said James Tomiczek, a principal with Harmony.

Tomiczek said that as a child, he attended a youth camp, and it "helped shape my values, and I see this as a gift to the children of my community that will help shape their future."

The development group spent $4 million to purchase the property, borrowing $3.4 million of the total.

Harmony is developing a 281-acre site close to the camp property called The Overlook at Montvale. Financing for the purchase of Camp Montvale is being secured with proceeds from that venture.

The sale of the property closed Wednesday, according to the Blount County Register of Deeds Office.

Bryan Roberson is president of the Friends of Camp Montvale group, which has been tapped to operate the camp.

"The sale is an excellent move forward for Camp Montvale," Roberson said. "Harmony is dedicated to working with the Friends of Camp Montvale to see the camp reopened. We are halfway to our goal. The land has been secured. Now we'll work on the fund-raising and organizational side."

The YMCA of East Tennessee began operating Camp Montvale in 1948 but announced plans in November 2005 to close the facility.

"Our board decided to sell this property to Harmony because of their dedication to protecting the environment and their plans to serve the future camping needs of our community," said Jim Dickson, president of the YMCA of East Tennessee. "We look forward to helping them in any way we can during this transition in order to make their future plans for the camp successful."

The next step for the Friends of Camp Montvale is to finalize a lease agreement with Harmony and organize a fund-raising campaign, Roberson said.

The fund-raising campaign is expected to begin within two months.

"Obviously we're very happy that this win-win for the community and the camp," Tomiczek said. "We are confident that it is economically feasible for the Friends of Camp Montvale to operate a youth camp on our property, and we want to help them prove that."

Harmony plans to place the majority of the camp property in a conservation easement with the Foothill Land Conservancy to prohibit further development.

The remainder of the land will be available to the camp for future expansion.

"I am excited about talking to the Harmony Group and Friends of Camp Montvale so that we can start the process of establishing a conservation easement on the Camp Montvale property that will protect it forever," said Bill Clabough, executive director of the Foothills Land Conservancy.

On the Net

• Friends of Camp Montvale: www.savecampmontvale.org