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This year's National Scout Jamboree might not be the last one at Fort A. P. Hill
RELATED STORY: Scouts promise fun and safe event
BY PORTSIA SMITH When the Boy Scouts of America started preparing for their 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, they thought it would be the last one there. But that may no longer be the case. The organization will celebrate its 100th anniversary later this month with the 2010 jamboree at the Caroline County Army base, which it has used for more than a quarter-century. It hopes to move the event to West Virginia in 2013, but that could be delayed. "We have optioned the right to be able to come back to the Hill because we're not sure if the West Virginia site will be ready," said Jim Horner, project coordinator for the National Scout Jamboree. "And we have submitted that in writing." Horner also said he couldn't confirm that 2013 would be the year of the next jamboree. Hank Hanrahan, a director at Fort A.P. Hill overseeing jamboree operations on the base, said, "A.P. Hill is prepared to support if the decision is made to come back here." The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, W.Va., will eventually become the BSA's permanent home for the National Scout Jamboree, as well as the organization's fourth high-adventure base. High-adventure bases host such activities as whitewater rafting, rappelling, mountain biking and hiking. The West Virginia site will also host leadership development training year-round and has the potential to handle World Scout Jamborees, according to the Scout website. While the ultimate goal is for the 10,600 acres there to serve as the permanent site of the event, Horner said much needs to be done to make that happen, including land development. Work on the new site has already begun, thanks to a $50 million contribution from the Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation. The Boy Scouts initially chose Goshen in Rockbridge County to be the jamboree's future home. But that February 2009 decision was withdrawn in August because of significant restrictions on land utilization and local community opposition. The Boy Scouts said they received 80 proposals from 28 states offering to host the event. Caroline County officials said last year that they also applied to keep the jamboree. The 10-day gathering brings thousands of Boy Scouts and leaders from around the country every four years and pumps millions into the area economy. It was last held in 2005, but the next one was pushed back a year to coincide with the Boy Scouts' centennial. In 2005, it pumped an estimated $17 million to $25 million into the local area's economy--$7.4 million for hotel and restaurant sales alone, according to figures from the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419
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