Bankruptcy Losses

[RememberSchiff]

To meet its $3.5 million settlement obligation, Daniel Webster Council (NH) has listed its former Manchester headquarters for $1.3 million and five-acre Unity Program Center in Sullivan County for $625,000.

In December 2021,  the council’s board of directors agreed to list both properties but held off until the Chapter 11 settlement was official. Previous to that listing decision,  much of the headquarters had already moved to nearby Camp Carpenter (Cub Scout camp) where the Scout Shop is also located.

More info and photos at source:

https://manchesterinklink.com/daniel-webster-council-lists-holt-avenue-property-for-1-3-million/

https://manchesterinklink.com/daniel-webster-council-board-authorizes-property-sales-to-offset-cost-of-sex-abuse-settlement/

[HashTagScouts]

1 hour ago, RememberSchiff said:

To meet its $3.5 million settlement obligation, Daniel Webster Council (NH) has listed its former Manchester headquarters for $1.3 million and five-acre Unity Program Center in Sullivan County for $625,000.

In December 2021,  the council’s board of directors agreed to list both properties but held off until the Chapter 11 settlement was official. Previous to that listing decision,  much of the headquarters had already moved to nearby Camp Carpenter (Cub Scout camp) where the Scout Shop is also located.

More info and photos at source:

https://manchesterinklink.com/daniel-webster-council-lists-holt-avenue-property-for-1-3-million/

https://manchesterinklink.com/daniel-webster-council-board-authorizes-property-sales-to-offset-cost-of-sex-abuse-settlement/

Being that Carpenter is only 3 miles away, and has some fairly excellent meeting facilities, this feels like a no brainer to just put the HQ there (as mentioned, the Scout Shop has been there for some time, and there is an excellent museum there as well).

[RememberSchiff]

Camp Roland (Buckskin Council,  Bastian, VA) located near Bastian, Va., is to be sold after serving Scouts for about 90 year, according to Dan Trent, program chair, Mountain Dominion District.

Scout Executive Jeffrey Purdy said there were several factors behind the decision:

• several Boy Scout councils have merged since 1970. “Each one brought in one or more Scout camps through the mergers,” he said. “There have been six or seven camps we’ve been responsible for.”
• Covid-19 pandemic
• national organization declaring bankruptcy impacted the BSA’s finances.
• membership drop
• a “world-class” Scouting facility, the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County.  For example, Buckskin Council will hold an Emergency Preparedness Camporee at Bechtel Summit on Oct 6-8, 2023.

"On July 6, the Buckskin Council BSA signed a memorandum of understanding with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). This memorandum will to utilize various state parks for activities while encouraging scouts to contribute to the conservation and preservation of these natural treasures through service projects.

Under the terms of this agreement, scouts from the Buckskin Council will have the opportunity to camp for free in designated state parks, such as Pipestem Resort and North Bend, as long as the requested facility is available for use on the requested date. Recreational activities may also be provided at a reduced or negotiated rate, depending on volume, availability, operational hours and the time of year.

Before starting a service project, scouting units will be required to complete volunteer agreements and obtain project approval from the WVDNR’s West Virginia State Parks section. State Parks personnel may also provide educational programming, such as merit badge classes and counseling, to visiting scouts."

More at Source:

https://www.bdtonline.com/news/boy-scout-facility-camp-roland-in-bland-county-up-for-sale/article_701b6536-264a-11ee-bbcb-eb3bcbcc4383.html

[SiouxRanger]

On 7/25/2023 at 5:10 AM, RememberSchiff said:

Camp Roland (Buckskin Council,  Bastian, VA) located near Bastian, Va., is to be sold after serving Scouts for about 90 year, according to Dan Trent, program chair, Mountain Dominion District.

Scout Executive Jeffrey Purdy said there were several factors behind the decision:

• several Boy Scout councils have merged since 1970. “Each one brought in one or more Scout camps through the mergers,” he said. “There have been six or seven camps we’ve been responsible for.”
• Covid-19 pandemic
• national organization declaring bankruptcy impacted the BSA’s finances.
• membership drop
• a “world-class” Scouting facility, the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County.  For example, Buckskin Council will hold an Emergency Preparedness Camporee at Bechtel Summit on Oct 6-8, 2023.

"On July 6, the Buckskin Council BSA signed a memorandum of understanding with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). This memorandum will to utilize various state parks for activities while encouraging scouts to contribute to the conservation and preservation of these natural treasures through service projects.

Under the terms of this agreement, scouts from the Buckskin Council will have the opportunity to camp for free in designated state parks, such as Pipestem Resort and North Bend, as long as the requested facility is available for use on the requested date. Recreational activities may also be provided at a reduced or negotiated rate, depending on volume, availability, operational hours and the time of year.

Before starting a service project, scouting units will be required to complete volunteer agreements and obtain project approval from the WVDNR’s West Virginia State Parks section. State Parks personnel may also provide educational programming, such as merit badge classes and counseling, to visiting scouts."

More at Source:

https://www.bdtonline.com/news/boy-scout-facility-camp-roland-in-bland-county-up-for-sale/article_701b6536-264a-11ee-bbcb-eb3bcbcc4383.html

My Council's President recently represented the fact of selling off about a third of our council's camp to pay the council's share of the bankruptcy as "fortunate" as the land sold (for about $1 Million) had never been used by the council for scouting activities.

Who is this fount of wisdom? A bank president. Hmmm.

No mention that the land sold was a "council asset worth $1 Million," which if truly unused (part yes, and mostly no) and never needed in the future, could have been sold for $1 Million and that money used to provide program (why is "program" a "dirty word?") to youth.  Instead of selling a $1 Million asset and receiving the money for council purposes, the money was sent to the bankruptcy.

The sale of those portions of the camp, when all boiled down, was a GIFT of $1 Million to National for which NO BENEFIT was received by the youth of our council.

(Well, it does perpetuate the existence and governing control of those who brought this curse upon our council in the first place. And for all the money the councils have paid, do they have any enhanced control over National-to prevent further abuses-I don't know of any. It is essentially "tribute.")

 "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."  --Robert Goodloe Harper

It is an abject, total, and unmitigated loss of $1 Million for no benefit to the service of youth.

Yet presented as a "positive thing."

Nope.

[RememberSchiff]

Buck Hill Scout Camp (formerly Cub World, Narragansett Council, RI)

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — The state Department of Environmental Management will acquire more than 900 acres of land in town from the local Boy Scouts of America chapter for $1.61 million, according to a purchase and sale agreement approved by the State Properties Committee.

...

The Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America had previously planned to sell about 200 acres to Getaway, a “glamping” rental company, which had proposed building 65 cabins on the property. However, those plans fell through earlier this year after the company withdrew its proposal, citing concerns about financial viability.

This is not the first time the state has purchased land from the Boy Scouts. DEM, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, bought 189 acres of land in Burrillville, also near the Buck Hill and George Washington Management areas, from the Boy Scouts of America Narragansett Council in 2012.

More at source:

https://ecori.org/state-to-purchase-preserve-boy-scouts-land-in-burrillville/

Another source with more info:

https://nrinow.news/2023/09/21/ri-dem-to-acquire-cub-world-as-part-of-930-acre-purchase-of-boy-scout-land-in-burrillville/

Edited September 21, 2023 by RememberSchiff
added another source

[yknot]

At least the land will not fall to development and should still have public access. 

[sierracharliescouter]

Today I learned that Narragansett Council owned a significant fraction of the State of Rhode Island.

[yknot]

22 minutes ago, sierracharliescouter said:

Today I learned that Narragansett Council owned a significant fraction of the State of Rhode Island.

Are you sure about that? I know the Narragansett tribe once did. 

[MikeS72]

8 hours ago, sierracharliescouter said:

Today I learned that Narragansett Council owned a significant fraction of the State of Rhode Island.

Every Rhode Islander owns a significant fraction of the state!!  😅🤣😂😇

Narragansett Council encompasses what was once upon a time the Massasoit Council (itself the result of several mergers), my original council.  It has been absorbed several times over the last six decades.  My first scout camping experience was at Camp Noquochoke, which closed down a little more than 40 years ago.

[RememberSchiff]

On 5/12/2022 at 7:24 AM, RememberSchiff said:

Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council (CA):  Camp Pico Blanco in Big Sur

Council is asking $1.8 million and a set of conditions for the sale of Camp Pico Blanco, and $1.6 million for an adjacent 350 acres of undeveloped wilderness area.

Eric Tarbox, deputy scout executive, says a volunteer group will grade each bid against the same criteria, which includes: plans for the land; whether the new owner will allow future access to scout programming (the Esselen Tribe has included this in its proposal); and how much money the bidder is willing to spend for the land. Tarbox says the vision for the land and accessibility to future scout programming will weigh heaviest for the council’s executive board in selecting the winning bid.

Peter Baird, managing partner at real estate firm Mahoney & Associates, which is handling the listing and a member of council’s executive board, says that $1.6 million adjacent property does not need an in-depth proposal because the scouts need to dispatch it and collect the money as quickly as possible. Local scouts will see none of the money – every penny will be funneled to the national council and placed into the new sexual abuse settlement fund, last valued at $2.7 billion, $515 million of which will come in cash and property from local councils.

Baird says the property value will cover some of the local council’s required contribution to help settle the more than 82,000 claims of sexual abuse against the Boy Scouts of America. If the local council cannot sell the wilderness parcels in time, they can transfer the real estate assets to the national council.

More at source:

https://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/local_news/the-boy-scouts-put-their-slice-of-big-sur-on-the-market-and-the-esselen/article_e864e588-d15c-11ec-ab58-1ffe5d6bf3e2.html

Update Oct 16, 2023:

The Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts, based in San Jose, has agreed to sell the historic property to the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, and two nonprofit groups: Camping Unlimited, which runs programs for disabled children, and White Stag Youth Leadership Development Academy, a Monterey group affiliated with scouting. The deal is currently in escrow and expected to close by the end of the year.

For the Esselen Tribe, the property, which includes part of the Little Sur River, has deep spiritual meaning. The tribe’s members lived in Big Sur for 8,000 years before they were forced into Spanish missions in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Now they are slowly acquiring land again, reclaiming a sense of place and momentum.

“Land is valuable to us for natural resources, and cultural resources,” said Tom Little Bear Nason, the Esselen tribal chairman. “It gives us room to breathe.”

More at source including photos:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/16/for-sale-historic-boy-scout-camp-in-big-sur-once-owned-by-william-randolph-hearst/

https://offplanpropertyexchange.com/news/historic-big-sur-property-once-owned-by-william-randolph-hearst-to-get-new-owners/249615/

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

#landback! Congratulations to the Esselen tribe.

[RememberSchiff]

On 7/16/2021 at 1:17 PM, RememberSchiff said:

7/16 Update

"An overwhelming amount of the Ozark Trails Council's 31 board members voted on Thursday against accepting an offer for the Frank Childress Scout Reservation."

"I don't know of anyone with the desire to sell one of our camp properties, so they were preaching to the choir," Scout Executive John Feick said. "We still have to fund a significant contribution to the settlement, so we're going to have to figure out something at some point, but it's clear that one thing we do not want to have to do is sell properties."

https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/boy-scouts-council-rejects-offer-for-frank-childress-campground/article_77383c6e-e654-11eb-806e-67eb929e4200.html

Update Oct 4, 2023

The Ozark Trails Council  has sold Frank Childress Scout Reservation to the Frank Childress Reserve Properties Committee, a not-for-profit organization. formed by a group of Scout volunteers.

The 175-acre wooded property was purchased for $500,000, roughly 28% of the property’s assessed value of $1.8 million. It will be renamed Camp Childress. and will provide an affordable camping facility for multiple community groups:

"The Ozark Trails Council will continue to operate three other camps: one near Pittsburg, Kansas; one on Table Rock Lake; and its main summer camp operation near Marshfield, Missouri."

More at sources:

https://sbj.net/stories/boy-scouts-council-sells-joplin-area-camp,86706

https://news.yahoo.com/frank-childress-scout-reservation-purchased-035900975.html

[RememberSchiff]

: 

On 4/7/2023 at 5:28 PM, slocumscout said:

As I understood things, the property contributions listed are only for properties that have been promised to the settlement trust; in other words, they are still to be sold. For Councils that have already sold properties (including mine) to settle their contribution, the proceeds of those sales will represent part or all of the listed cash contributions. 

To pick a random case that isn't my own council, Three Fires Council sold Camp Freeland Leslie after its 2021 season, and stated that was to pay their contribution to the trust. They show only a cash contribution and not a property contribution.

 

"In 2021, Camp Freeland Leslie was purchased by a local family in the hopes of developing it in a manner consistent with the historical use of the property.

The new owners allowed the Boy Scouts to use the property after the purchase was completed in order to have their final summer camp at Camp Freeland Leslie. 

The new owners have embarked upon an ambitious plan to develop the property into Emrick Lake Campground & Resort.  

This new campground and RV park will be Wisconsin’s Largest Campground. With amenities and services second to none - Emrick Lake Campground & Resort will provide guests with an unparalleled Campground experience."

Sources:

https://www.emricklakecampground.com/about-us

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/crisp-cool-waters-wi/

[Tron]

19 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

: 

"In 2021, Camp Freeland Leslie was purchased by a local family in the hopes of developing it in a manner consistent with the historical use of the property.

The new owners allowed the Boy Scouts to use the property after the purchase was completed in order to have their final summer camp at Camp Freeland Leslie. 

The new owners have embarked upon an ambitious plan to develop the property into Emrick Lake Campground & Resort.  

This new campground and RV park will be Wisconsin’s Largest Campground. With amenities and services second to none - Emrick Lake Campground & Resort will provide guests with an unparalleled Campground experience."

Sources:

https://www.emricklakecampground.com/about-us

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/crisp-cool-waters-wi/

After reading the information at the 2 links I wonder if the cash contribution only issue is because the camp was sold a few years ago and not more recently?

[mrjohns2]

3 hours ago, Tron said:

After reading the information at the 2 links I wonder if the cash contribution only issue is because the camp was sold a few years ago and not more recently?

I’m not following your point. It was my old camp, so I’m decently familiar with what happened.