Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America recently announced the purchase of 10,000 acres in the Mount Hope/Glen Jean area of Fayette County. The property was purchased to build a high adventure base in the Eastern United States. The camp will be called The Summit:  Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.  This is great news for the state of West Virginia, especially Southern West Virginia. The scouts have also announced they were moving the Boy Scouts National Jamboree to this site in the year 2013. Jack Furst, Vice President of Boy Scouts of America said “they love the state and the site. He said Southern West Virginia offers them what they were looking for in a high adventure base”.

We commend Governor Joe Manchin and the Project Arrow Task Force for successfully negotiating and landing this project.  Now we must guarantee the success of this adventure.  The Boy Scouts have shown their confidence in us by locating here.  Now it is time for Southern West Virginians to show their confidence is well placed. A great opportunity has been handed to us and at the same time a major challenge.

The opportunity gives us a chance to showcase the beauty of our state and region and the competence and friendliness of our people.  In Southern  West Virginia we have much to offer.  If we handle this project properly, we will be able to entice people to move to our area and entice businesses to relocate here.  This will mean more jobs and a chance to grow our local businesses.

The challenge that we face is making sure we are organized so nothing is taken for granted. The Summit during the National Jamboree will host approximately 40,000 scouts and 7,000 adult volunteers. The New River Gorge Region will host up to 300,000 visitors during that time as well. Where do we park their cars, where do they spend the nights, and what do we want them to see and do?  How do we make their stay so positive they will tell others about us and return with their families?  How do we prepare local businesses to handle the influx of 300,000 individuals for an extended stay?

The challenges do not stop there.  We need to assist the Boy Scouts in obtaining the infrastructure needed to transport scouts to and from the camp.  Improvements to US Route 19 in the Glen Jean area are needed.  The State is addressing this issue. The Z-Way completion is important to transport scouts from the Raleigh County Airport to Glen Jean.  This is also in the works.  The Boy Scouts of America are taking care of all the improvements planned on the 10,000 acre site, The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.  They also will take care of the scouts while they are there.  Our challenge is to plan for those individuals that will be visiting and spending time in our communities.

To take advantage of the opportunities and to meet the challenges presented, the 4-C Economic Development Authority has appointed a Steering Committee to organize and oversee the planning process.  The Steering Committee consists of William H. Baker, Executive Director of the Jobs Foundation,; Don Striker, Superintendent of New River Gorge National River; Matthew Wender, Fayette County Commissioner; Gary Hartley, Resource Manager Specialist, Trinity Works; Judy Radford, Executive Director of 4-C EDA; and Doug Maddy, Executive Director, Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Baker will chair the committee.  The WV Development Office will have at least one individual on the committee. Radford and Striker were members of the Project Arrow Task Force and 4-C is the conduit being used by Boy Scouts of America to communicate, advertise and procure employees and services.

The Steering Committee met Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at the National Guard Armory in Glen Jean with officials, business leaders and community leaders from four counties (Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers) to start the planning process. Four major committees were established.  These committees will define the tasks and set the expectations for the region. Each committee will expand into subcommittees and will be looking for additional members. Additional planning will be necessary at the local level as each community gears up for the beginning of the 2013 National Jamboree.  The four committees are:

1. Community Development;

2. Economic Development;

3. Public Safety/Infrastructure;

4. Tourism/Destinations.

The planning has begun.  Additional input and assistance will be sought.  The task is too important to the Boy Scouts and to Southern West Virginia to do anything less than our very best.  The Boy Scouts have done their part in selecting their site in Fayette County and budgeting over $100,000,000 to be spent on the project. West Virginians must now step forward and prepare so we are in a position to take advantage of the opportunity offered. The stakes are high for the community as well as the Boy Scouts.  We must make this a memorable experience for our visitors and a successful endeavor for our local businesses. We will adopt the Boy Scout Motto, BE PREPARED.

For further information, please contact the 4-C Economic Development Authority at 4ceda@4ceda.org or (304) 254-8115.