The Michigan Madness

[BadenP]

second class

 

The only problem with your scenario is that you think there are SE's who really give a cr*p about the council, the camps, or the volunteers. The SE is there only to put their time in order to qualify to be promoted to a position at National, all of them are gunning to be the next CSE.

 

Granted there are a very few who truly care about their council and its welfare but they are the exception rather than the rule. As someone said in another thread those scouting professionals who do really care generally don't last long in their climb to the top.

 

 

[TheGong]

I don't know where people get the notion that camps are being sold, since from the begining of the Area 2 project the board said that they would not sell any camp. These camps are not closed, they are resting and some of them have been taken off that resting list.

The four boy scout summer camps will each have 7 weeks of camp, each week is full. D-Bar-A has 3 sub camps that all run 7 weeks and are the only camps not currently at capacity.

We really do need more DEs the district to the norht of me has 9 counties and only 1 part time DE. My district has 5 counties and 1 full time DE and one part time DE that is shared with two other districts. My field service council covers 27 counties in some of the poorest sections in Michigan.

The Area 2 project is a blessing in disguise. Right now things are convuluted and inchoerent but the fact that we do not have to sell one of our camps (which we has LHAC were going to do within 10 years) is a Godsend.

[acco40]

Before the "Michigan Madness" - the Detroit Area Council and Clinton Valley Council merged (Great Lakes Council emerged). This was an economic reality- it didn't create more jobs, it consolidated positions in an attempt to save money.

 

A year or two later, State Wide council was formed (actually I believe it is not the entire state and it includes a sliver of Ohio too).

 

As of January 1, 2013, Lost Lake Scout Reservation, Camp Agawam and Paul Bunyan Scout Camp.

 

An extensive nine month review was conducted for each camps program strengths that evaluated facility conditions, location to population centers, attendance and financial sustainability. As a result, a recommendation to operate the following MCC 2013 camping programs was presented to the MCC Executive Committee and approved on September 10, 2012.

 

Yeah, it was a money issue. Folks would rather have fewer "nicer" camps than more "rustic" camps. For now, the camps will be mothballed so to speak - not sold. At least that is what they are telling us now.

[MichScouter]

I have been to Camp Agawam a few times The camp is surounded by a large homes. The camp entrance shares a road with these homes. Also when you are at the waterfront you can see a lot of large homes on the lake. My guess is when real estate values go up they will sell it.

 

I actually like the camp. It is close to the Detroit Metro area. It would be nice to have a BSA camp close by to use. However they don't have many cabins to use for winter camping with cubs.

 

I do feel the merge is more about money then anything else.

[RememberSchiff]

Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC) and Camp Teetonkah - Keep the endowment, close the camp.

 

MCC will decide by the end of the year to give the property to the Jackson County Parks Department or the Friends of Camp Teetonkah, a nonprofit created by scouting volunteers and local organizations. Council will either have to give the camp away or sell it for $1 because of an agreement when the Boy Scouts first tried shutting it down in 1997.

 

"A nearly $1 million endowment was raised to keep the camp alive then, and a resolution was agreed on so the Boy Scouts couldn't sell the camp if they decided to close it again.

 

The council's outdoor adventures director Frank Reigelman said the council will honor the resolution, even though it could potentially be overruled by a new resolution.

Officials with Friends of Camp Teetonkah said the group won't fight to take the endowment, but that they have raised the funds for it.

 

Reigelman said the funds never belonged to the group, which is why the council will keep the money that has accrued interest to now total $1.5 million."

 

I hope Friends of Camp Teetonkah gets their camp.

 

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/08/23/2-organizations-vie-boy-scouts-camp-jackson/89221410/

[T2Eagle]

Friends of Teetonkah may get the camp, but what are the odds that they'll be able to raise another million to actually keep it open? That might depend on the price of oil since there is an operating oil well on the property.  In 2012 they were expecting $10,000 a month of course the price of oil was $100/barrel.  It's worth noting that in Michigan (and other places) it is routine to sell, or give away, surface ownership, while retaining mineral, oil, and gas rights.

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2012/01/drilling_at_camp_teetonkah_hit.html

Edited August 27, 2016 by T2Eagle

[RememberSchiff]

Good point. I don't know if the well(s) are still active. Another revenue source, a timber harvest, was done just before the oil well drilling. Some camps here are installing solar farms. Camp-shares like farm-shares may be another possibility.

 

As I understand, there has been new facilities added in the last ten years - showers, dining hall, shooting ranges. Jackson County is strongly interested in acquiring the camp as a county park.

 

So Council might keep the previously raised camp endowment money and the oil rights.

Edited August 27, 2016 by RememberSchiff

[rfd536]

At this time council plans on keeping the endowment money and the oil rights regardless of who gets the camp. 

Friends of Camp Teetonkah is working hard to get the camp and save it as a youth camp.  They have the support of the community and several local non-profits.  If you would like to learn more about Friends of Camp
Teetonkah go to www.friendsofcampteetonkah.org.

[meyerc13]

Does this council have other camps?  Maybe I'm cynical, but if so I wouldn't be surprised if the camp goes to the County.  If the Council leaves it open to Scouting groups, it might take away business from other Scout camps.  I hope I'm wrong, but I've heard a few Councils say they would try to pass their camp properties on to another Scouting group, only to see the exact opposite happen again and again.  It's a disturbing thing to see Councils focus more on the money than on the kids - and this goes for both Boy and Girl Scout Councils.