Proposed sale of Camp Tuckahoe could help local Boy Scout council

A proposal to sell off buffer acres around Camp Tuckahoe on South Mountain could help replenish the financial reserves of the Boy Scouts of America New Birth of Freedom Council, scout executive and chief executive officer Ronald Gardner Jr. said Tuesday.

Council executive board members have yet to finalize the sale of 916 acres of land to the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, he said. “We’re not quite at the finish line, but we’re getting close.”

The council serves about 6,000 scouts in Cumberland, Perry, Dauphin, Franklin, York and Adams counties.

On Sept. 8, Reuters reported that the Boy Scouts of America secured approval of a $2.46 billion reorganization plan from a bankruptcy judge. That plan allows the organization to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and settle decades of claims by more than 80,000 men who say they were abused as children by troop leaders, according to the news service.

In its coverage, Reuters reported that money for the $2.46 billion settlement comes from the Boy Scouts, local councils, insurers and organizations that have chartered Scouting units and activities, including churches.

In September, Gardner posted an article on the homepage of the council website updating the public on the status of discussions between the council and the conservancy about preserving “the buffer acreage.” Gardner described the 916 acres as “parts of the [Tuckahoe] property that we don’t actively use for camping and programs, but serve as natural wilderness areas and as a buffer against development encroaching on those areas … we actively use.

“This potential sale of acreage at Tuckahoe, if successful, will most likely not play immediately and could take 2-3 years,” Gardner wrote in his online post. “It will not help our council to make its $2.7 million contribution toward the victims’ trust fund in the resolution of the bankruptcy, which we anticipate will be completed later this year. But this effort could one day help us replenish our reserves, including [the] endowment for our camps.”

First established in 1948, Camp Tuckahoe straddles Cumberland and York counties and includes about 400 acres used for scouting programs, Gardner said. The program space includes campsites, cabins, a swimming pool and a dining hall large enough to seat about 500 people, he said.

The conservancy is still working on a financing package to acquire the 916 acres. In early September, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced the award of a $1.17 million grant to the conservancy toward the purchase of the buffer acres.

“While the DCNR grant is a significant step toward a potential sale of this acreage, we’re not yet at a final decision point,” Gardner wrote in September. “There are still several issues and considerations for the [council] board to consider before making a decision about a prospective sale. The appraised market value of the 916-acre parcel is $2.29 million, and the Central PA Conservancy is still working diligently on securing additional public and private funding to make up that difference.”

Last week, Cumberland County commissioners Jean Foschi and Vince DiFilippo voted to award a $955,500 recovery grant to the conservancy toward the acquisition.

Money for the grant will be drawn from the $49.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated to Cumberland County. Commissioner Gary Eichelberger voted against the grant.

“Should the sale at Tuckahoe come to fruition, the conservancy would be an interim property owner, with the eventual owner being the National Park Service, PA State Game Lands, or PA State Forest,” Gardner wrote. “In all cases, this acreage will remain undeveloped, with passive recreational access for the public to hike, bike, or perhaps hunt. These options will depend on the use guidelines of the eventual owner, but in actuality, we have been seeing these activities in the buffer acreage for years.

“First and most importantly, we will be able to operate Tuckahoe in the future precisely as we do now,” Gardner wrote. “If we do complete the sale … we will protect the natural wilderness areas surrounding Tuckahoe that provide a buffer against the encroachment of civilization while, at the same time, redirecting the financial value of this ‘buffer acreage’ to support our core programs to serve youth.”

Joseph Cress is a reporter for The Sentinel covering education and history. You can reach him at jcresscumberlink.com or by calling 717-218-0022.