RememberSchiff 3627 Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 A scout camp, perhaps the oldest, saved and restored. It took concerned scouters, local government, legal action, zoning, a change in council leadership, funding, and volunteers. "With its future secure, Owasippe Scout Reservation will receive $1 million in improvements before the next camping season, according to an official with the Chicago Area Council of Boy Scouts of America." "The future of Owasippe had been in question several years ago when the council had a $19 million offer from a Holland-area businessman for the property. But plans to sell the 4,800-acre property were derailed after the township board refused to adjust the zoning and a protracted legal battle began in 2006. The council argued that it had the right to do with the property what it pleased, and that it didn't have the money for necessary upkeep. The township ended up winning the legal fight, and the council brought in new leaders who were committed to preserving the 102-year-old camp." http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/12/boy_scouts_commit_1_million_to.html http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/07/owasippe_nations_oldest_boy_sc.html Hallelujah but IMO if council leadership had been changed first, the camp would have been restored years ago. Link to post Share on other sites
Basementdweller 608 Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 It is what happens when the bureaucracy forgets who they work for. So, I gotta question......If we remove the camps from the equation what do councils provide us????? Link to post Share on other sites
SSScout 1608 Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 For the benefit of folks who are not familiar with this episode, I have been trying to access our history of this sad situation without success. Found this: lots of articles in ChiTrib: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-06-14/news/0706131277_1_scouts-plan-boy-scouts-board-members and http://flyingdingbats.wordpress.com/owasippe/ and http://ooec.org/news-info/ Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3627 Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 For the benefit of folks who are not familiar with this episode, I have been trying to access our history of this sad situation without success. Found this: lots of articles in ChiTrib: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-06-14/news/0706131277_1_scouts-plan-boy-scouts-board-members and http://flyingdingbats.wordpress.com/owasippe/ and http://ooec.org/news-info/ Searching just our previous forums in 2005-2008 timeframe, I found some. Have aspirin handy. http://www.scouter.com/forum/council-relations/23141-hello-owasippe http://www.scouter.com/forum/summer-camp/15361-camp-owasippe-summer-2007 http://www.scouter.com/forum/council-relations/22975-goodbye-owasippe http://www.scouter.com/forum/summer-camp/15221-what-s-going-on-with-owassippe http://www.scouter.com/forum/council-relations/22996-chicago-the-grim-future-of-scouting http://old.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=129632 http://old.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=124597 http://old.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=110007 Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3627 Posted December 9, 2013 Author Share Posted December 9, 2013 Spring 2014 work weekend flyer http://www.chicagobsa.org/document/help-make-owasippe-better-flyer/132810 Link to post Share on other sites
Bando 21 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I had perhaps my best week of scout camp camping the one summer my troop went to Owasippe instead of our usual camp. An incredible, amazing place that ran a fantastic program. I'm so glad the CAC figured this out and did the right thing. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now