Better plan to preserve Arroyo Grande camp, historic barn in the works

Is a better resolution for the Arroyo Grande Methodist Campground and its historic barn on the way?

The City Council was scheduled to discuss the 29-acre campground in the heart of the Village on Tuesday night, namely an agreement the city had negotiated with property owner California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (Cal-Pac), that would give it more time to find a buyer for the property who would preserve the site and its 12-sided barn known as the Tabernacle.

In recent weeks, several people have expressed worries that the Tabernacle would be demolished if Cal-Pac chose to sell the campground to a developer and pushed for the council to take action to preserve what some have called “the most significant historical resource in the city.”

The council instead voted to table the issue until its next meeting, to give time for a new agreement from Cal-Pac.

According to City Development Director Teresa McClish, Cal-Pac requested that the council wait two weeks because it “has something in the works that would assist in the preservation of the Tabernacle and the site.”

McClish noted that Cal-Pac had indicated the new agreement would be “more beneficial” to everyone involved, though she said she was not aware of the details of the new developments.

When reached for comment on what the new plan might be, Cal-Pac representative James Kang did not elaborate on the mysterious deal, but issued the following statement:

“Our United Methodist Camp Arroyo Grande has served faithfully and beautifully as a host for life-changing ministry for over a century,” he wrote. “We acknowledge its importance in the lives of individuals throughout the California-Pacific region, including many of the citizens of the city of Arroyo Grande. Our commitment remains to work cooperatively with the city and to provide life-giving camp and retreat ministries for all people.”

The original agreement would give the city until Dec. 31 to find a buyer or formulate a plan to relocate the Tabernacle. Cal-Pac has said it will not demolish the Tabernacle as long as the agreement is in place.

It would also allow Cal-Pac to grant a six-month extension to the agreement, as long as significant progress was still being made toward formulating a relocation plan.

During that time, the city would not be allowed to deny any demolition permits Cal-Pac applies for, though the church organization would still not be allowed to demolish the Tabernacle until the agreement expired.

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Better plan to preserve Arroyo Grande camp, historic barn in the works."