SV gives up claim to camp

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SPRING VALLEY — The city of Spring Valley gave up any rights it might have to Echo Bluff at its meeting Monday, although it’s not certain the city had any rights to give up. Echo Bluff is a former Girl Scout camp located west of Spring Valley. In 1963, the land was deeded to the Illinois Valley Girl Scouts Council, and when the camp went out of existence, the land reverted to LaSalle National Bank, which is now Hometown National Bank.

In 2004, bank chairman O.J. Stoutner sent letters to local governments, looking for someone to take over Echo Bluff. He said the property was never to be sold but had to be used for the benefit of area youth in the cities of Spring Valley, DePue, LaSalle, Peru and Oglesby, and the townships of Hall, Selby, LaSalle and Peru.

In 2006, Hall Township Supervisor Marty Fiocchi announced that a collaboration of partners was working to bring Echo Bluff back to life. Hall Township’s efforts received a boost when it received a $400,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from the state.

But Spring Valley City Attorney Jim Andreoni still had a question.

Did Spring Valley have any rights or obligations regarding the property?

Earlier this summer, Andreoni said he received a letter from DePue Village Attorney Bill Wimbiscus about Echo Bluff. He said Wimbiscus said there was a reversion clause with Echo Bluff, and that if it was ever not used as a Girl Scout camp, it was to revert to Spring Valley and the other governmental entities.

Andreoni said Wimbiscus wanted to be sure Hall Township had a “good deed,” and so he prepared a quitclaim deed for the village of DePue to sign off any rights it might have.

Andreoni said a quit claim deed is a special type of deed.

“It does not promise that we own the property,” he said. “It simply gives to the grantee whatever interest the grantor may have.”

Andreoni said that, for example, he could sign a quit claim deed to any rights he might have to the Brooklyn Bridge, even though he has no ownership rights in the first place.

Andreoni recommended the city sign the quit claim deed to Echo Bluff in the highly unlikely case that anyone would ever name Spring Valley in a lawsuit regarding the property. Although title to Echo Bluff had been conveyed to Hall Township, the aldermen unanimously approved giving its rights to the bank.

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