WRPI — Smiley: Providence has paid back taxes on defunct Narragansett camp

Aug 2, 2023

By Matt Paddock & Allison Shinskey — NARRAGANSETT, RI (WPRI) — Camp Cronin, a property owned by the city of Providence valued at more than $1 million, was sold at a tax auction last fall, according to documents obtained by 12 News.

The ocean-front property was once used for summer camps and day trips for children and elderly people, but it’s sat unused for years.

On Oct. 31, 2022, the camp was apparently auctioned off to Airway Leasing LLC, a company owned by Gerard DiSanto, who also owns Club Desire, a gentleman’s club in Providence.

The tax deed for the property also revealed the city owed nearly $17,000 in unpaid taxes, as first reported by The Providence Journal .

Nick Hemond, the lawyer representing Airway Leasing, told 12 News that while DiSanto could take over the property if Providence doesn’t take action within a year of the sale, he had no intention of doing so.

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