Bankruptcy Losses

[Eagle1993 2160]

CFL was the summer camp our Troop went to for several years.  Our old camp site was hidden in a clearing that has been buldozed to the ground and replaced with RV pads.  

I was told There was a former scout, from Texas, that offered the council the same amount that was offered by the third party.  The former scout only request was to keep it as a scout camp.  The council decided it wasn't in their best interest as it was far from their home location and it was a lot of work and expense to maintain.  

My council sold one of their remaining camps... Only one left.  These camp sales are wearing me down.

[Tron 82]

22 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

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

Was the contribution to the fund listed only as cash because over 2 years passed between the sale of the camp back in 2021 and the actual post deposit of funds to the settlement fund? Meaning, since the cash had been possibly co-mingled for 2 years the amount tied to the sale of the property was no longer considered a property disbursement.

[mrjohns2 577]

16 hours ago, Eagle1993 said:

I was told There was a former scout, from Texas, that offered the council the same amount that was offered by the third party.  The former scout only request was to keep it as a scout camp.  The council decided it wasn't in their best interest as it was far from their home location and it was a lot of work and expense to maintain. 

That rumor wasn’t in the staff circles I love in. I’m with the older crowd that would like have money. It was “only $1M” if I recall, so not too surprising that someone could have at least come up with a mortgage. The council never much invested in the camp compared to my current council. Very different approach. 

[RememberSchiff 3663]

On 6/14/2022 at 11:20 AM, RememberSchiff said:

An announcement on May 16 fleshed out those reports, as The Conservation Fund (TCF) proclaimed its partnership with the Greater New York Councils of Boy Scouts of America (GNYC) to preserve the majority of the land at TMR.

...

The multi-year conservation effort announced by TCF and GNYC will kick off with TCF’s purchase of nearly 6,100 acres of TMR land. A second phase will follow, bringing the total land sold to around 9,400 acres.

GNYC will keep its active summer camp facilities, an area encompassing 2,100 acres. It will also continue to use the conserved area for charitable purposes under an unspecified agreement.

...

TCF will work in the future with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the permanent protection of the land, according to the release.

More at source link below map.

 

https://riverreporter.com/stories/ten-mile-river-conservation-announced,55557

Update 1/24/2024: Volunteers sought for trail work

Executive summary: At least 5 organizations - National Park Service, American Hiking Soceity, Conservation Fund, NYDEC, GNYBSA,... are looking for 6-8 volunteer trail workers to move a trail at a former scout camp .

National Park Service Superintendent Lindsey Kurnath, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, reported that they were selected as a host site for the American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacations program. National Park Service will be working with six to eight volunteers in September to assist with trail work to re-route the Tusten Mountain Trail, on the former Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp property.   

NPS has an agreement with The Conservation Fund to do light maintenance on this trail if NPS chooses. The Conservation Fund purchased a parcel of the Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp, which also includes the river access, from the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America in recent years. The Fund also allows the NPS to continue providing public river access. 

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has also been involved to ensure it supports any work done on the trail, since DEC may eventually manage the site.  

Kurnath said that the one footbridge over a natural drainage area is unstable, and the plan is to shift the trail slightly north. "I don't think anyone really likes that bridge and if we can figure out how to eliminate it, that is less trail maintenance for everybody concerned," she said. 

The Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America allows the public to hike the 2.9-mile loop trail.  The popular trail, which is rated "moderately difficult" by Trailkeeper.org, is noted for stunning views of the Upper Delaware River.  

To volunteer for this project, contact the American Hiking Society at americanhiking.org/volunteer-vacations.

Source:

https://www.tricountyindependent.com/story/news/local/2024/01/24/nps-udc-car-upper-delaware-river/72268584007/

 

[RememberSchiff 3663]

2/7/2024 New York:

With the merger of  Iroquois Trail Council and the Greater Niagara Frontier Council into the Western New York Council, Camp Dittmer closed in 2023 and is for sale through Timberland Realty - 317 acres with private 110 acre Remick Lake for $3.7M.

"Camp Babock-Hovey on Seneca Lake in Ovid is being sold by the Rochester-based Seneca Waterways Council. The 284-acre site is listed for $9 million. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation may be interested in purchasing the property, as are private developers. The Seneca County Board of Supervisors voted to form a local development corporation to manage the property if the state buys it.

Additionally, Camp Barton on Cayuga Lake in the town of Covert, Seneca County, has been sold by Baden-Powell Council in Binghamton to State Parks. It will be managed by Three Falls LDC, consisting of the towns of Covert and Ulysses, along with the village of Trumansburg. The latter two municipalities are in Tompkins County."

Source

https://www.fltimes.com/news/former-boy-scout-camp-dittmer-for-sale-for-3-7-million/article_687694d6-c447-11ee-8fd3-83c0be0eecc3.html

[RememberSchiff 3663]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:58 PM, RememberSchiff said:

Update to Update: 08/12/22

Deal near to preserve Deer Lake in Killingworth as open space

The Boy Scouts’ Connecticut Yankee Council, which owns the land, is in the final stage of negotiations to sell the land for $4.75 million to Pathfinders, Inc., a local nonprofit that has run camping programs at Deer Lake for many years under a lease agreement with the Scouts.

“We think we are very close,” said Ted Langevin, president of Pathfinders. The Scouts did not comment, but in a July 25 filing in a lawsuit involving the property, the Scouts’ lawyers asserted that the “contract for the sale of the Deer Lake property to Pathfinders is near completion.”...

To preserve the open space, Pathfinders had to top an offer that looked for a time like it would carry the day. In the spring, the Scouts’ Connecticut Yankee Council announced it was selling the land for $4.62 million to a major real estate developer, Margaret Streicker, who is also a board member of the council.  

https://ctmirror.org/2022/08/12/deer-lake-killingworth-ct-open-space-pathfinders-boy-scouts/

Following articles give an historical summary of council's sale process, at least what is known. IMHO, article raises questions about Executive Board transparency and ethics, My $0.02,

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-deer-lake-conservation-connecticut-20220813-htjpjl3i5vepvj6sai6yxz6tji-story.html

Streicker adds her side of the story.

https://www.registercitizen.com/shoreline/article/Deal-near-to-preserve-Deer-Lake-in-Killingworth-17372949.php

4/2/2024 Update and more:

"Killingworth Deer Lake is now free of debt and protected from development pressure thanks to a nonprofit and leagues of donors focused on its preservation."

"In 2022, the Pathfinders bought the property for $4.75 million from the Connecticut Yankee Council, which is the local chapter of the Boy Scouts. 

Pathfinder's purchase was largely due to Connecticut Attorney General Tong conferring with the CYC to extend their March 31 deadline set for the property’s sale to May 1. AG Tong intervened immediately after the CYC rejected a Pathfinders’ offer of $4.3 million on March 30, thus allowing Pathfinders another month to raise $475,000.

Ted Langevin, the president of Pathfinders, said it took more than $3 million in donations (from over 1,300 people spanning 87 Connecticut towns and 34 states, as well as donors from foreign countries) and $1.8 million in loans. Now, those loans are paid off thanks to an Eagle Scout who would later fight to make the Scouts more inclusive.

“At the age of 67 he was kicked out because he was gay,” Senator Blumenthal said.

In his will, David Knapp left the Pathfinders $750,000, which is what they needed to pay off the last of the loans.

“This is just a great way for him to be an activist once more,” Langevin said."

“We welcome the public, to come and use our hiking trails, walk on the property,” Pathfinders President and Chairman Ted Langevin said.

He added the space will be inclusive and welcoming to all. It will also offer rentable space for weddings, corporate events and ceremonies. There are plans for future programing and camps to ensure the property has a long life protected from development, and close to nature.

 

“To welcome people onto our land and get them interested in coming more often, enjoy nature and all the things we have to offer,” Langevin said of goals for the site.

Sources:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/killingworths-deer-lake-is-debt-free-as-leaders-look-toward-its-future/ar-BB1kXYbJ

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/middlesex/killingworths-deer-lake-saved-from-developers/

https://hk-now.com/a-day-of-thank-yous-at-deer-lake/

P.S.  Real estate developer Margaret Streicker is still listed on the Executive Board of Connecticut Yankee Council

Edited April 3 by RememberSchiff
AG Tong rescue and link

[InquisitiveScouter 1653]

1 hour ago, RememberSchiff said:

P.S.  Real estate developer Margaret Streicker is still listed on the Executive Board of Connecticut Yankee Council

Something was definitely rotten in the state of Denmark on that one 😜