BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES VIRGINIA SITE NO LONGER BEING CONSIDERED FOR NATIONAL SCOUTING CENTER
DALLAS – August 4, 2009 – The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has determined that its proposed site in Rockbridge County, Virginia, for the National Scouting Center, which includes the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, is being withdrawn from consideration due to the significant restrictions on land utilization. For the past few months, the BSA has been studying the challenges around land use and what would be needed to prepare the site to host a number of activities, including a national summer camp, quadrennial jamboree, and other programs. The site is currently owned by the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts.
“The Goshen site is a remarkable piece of property, and although we believe we can solve the technical issues to make it work, it’s simply too restrictive from a land utilization perspective to do what we need to do for the amount of investment that would be required,” said Jack Furst, national chairman and lead volunteer for the National Scouting Center.
“We said all along that we needed to study the issues, and we’re appreciative of those in Rockbridge County who supported our efforts as we went through this process,” he added.
In February, the BSA announced that after an extensive 18-month process, it had selected sites in Virginia and West Virginia to explore the vision of a National Scouting Center. This announcement allowed the BSA to proceed with investigation and negotiations in those states to explore the issue further. The plans called for a permanent home for the national jamboree in Goshen, Rockbridge County, Virginia, and the new high-adventure base in Fayette and Raleigh counties, West Virginia.
The organization recently signed an agreement to purchase 10,600 acres, some of it reclaimed mining property, near Beckley, West Virginia, and announced that it would develop a new high- adventure base to complement its existing three bases in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Florida. The BSA expects to close on the property later this fall.
“In light of our recent decision concerning the Goshen site, we’ll be looking to see if the West Virginia property can support a jamboree, but we have a lot of work to do there before we can make that determination,” Furst explained.
About the Boy Scouts of America
Serving nearly 3.5 million youth between the ages of 7 and 20, with more than 300 councils throughout the United States and its territories, the BSA is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The Scouting movement is composed of 1.2 million volunteers, whose dedication of time and resources has enabled the BSA to remain the nation’s leading youth-service organization. For more information on the BSA, please visit www.scouting.org.
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