The Jewish Community Center (JCC) sold 58 acres of land on Aug. 15 to residential home developers. The JCC will use the proceeds from the sale to construct two baseball fields and one soccer field for summer camp and youth sports programming.

Members of the Jewish Federation and JCC Board of Directors made up the group that first approved the sale. The JCC property was named after I.E. Millstone, the founder of Millstone Construction Company.

“Before he passed away, Mr. Millstone was consulted about the possible sale of land and he was fully supportive,” President and CEO of the JCC Lynn Wittels said. “The decision was made to sell the land to help finance the construction of the new Staenberg Family Complex as well as the improvements to the Marilyn Fox Building and Camp Sabra.”

The developers plan to build a family housing development on the grounds. The JCC expects the fields to be ready by next summer.

“We were very careful to maintain all land that was being used for programs so the sale [does not] impact the J,” Wittels said. “Several years ago we moved our day camp to the camp pavilion that has served as the focal point of our day camps and has been a wonderful gathering place that can serve the needs of our entire camp community.”

Past campers have mixed views on the sale. Some are happy that the JCC can benefit from the proceeds to further improve the summer camps.

“I think the sale could be good in that it gets the camp money to make it even better,” Ladue High School junior Jenna Shanker said.

However, some campers will miss the land because it holds sentimental value. Camp memories include running around on fields, playing games, planting in the garden and eating snacks on the picnic tables. Parkway Central junior Valerie Pelts was both a camper and camp counselor at the JCC.

“It upsets me that they are selling the land because that’s where I have my fondest childhood memories and where I spent my summers growing up,” Pelts said. “My best memories were doing art projects in the art lodge, playing tennis baseball on the tennis courts and making life-long friends.”