For Jessica Stewart, Camp Lazarus has been a part of her life and family for many years. She has been involved in scouting as a parent, a scout herself and has four children involved.
"I think there are a lot of hidden gems at Camp Lazarus there's a lot of area a lot of people may not be familiar with a lot of our events that are open to the public are usually housed on a main area of camp," Stewart said.
For her, her first initial thought when hearing the news was sadness.
Simon Kenton Council maintains four primary camps including, Camp Lazarus in Delaware, Camp Falling Rock in Newark, Chief Logan Reservation in Ray and Camp Oyo in Portsmouth.
Every five years the council conducts a detailed review of their properties and this year found that maintaining them financially was not sustainable long-term.
At the request of their Camp Property Stewardship Committee, they invited an expert team of experienced volunteer scouters from central Ohio to do the review.
Based on their results, the committee is recommending two options. The first would be selling or leasing a small portion of Camp Lazarus that is not currently being used by SKC. The second option recommended is, closing and selling Chief Logan Reservation after the 2020 summer camp season.
"My first thought is how many kids are down there that may not get to go to camp, what's close by that our scouting program can help them with is this happens," Stewart said.
The council said their assessment team estimated that the total cost for all improvements would be more than $25 million. With their own review of their camps operating today, they are spending more $500,000 a year.
We talked to the Chief Logan Reservation summer camp director, Drew Thiele and the camp's Alumni Association President Chris Rhorer. They both feel the decision is being made too quickly. We also spoke with many people who have been a part of Chief Logan Reservation for years, whether it's going as a guest or working there. Many of the people we spoke with said they are upset and are hoping to work with the council to find a solution.
Thiele said he respectfully understands how difficult of a decision this is for not only them, but for the council to go through. He said during their off season they are aware they aren't getting rentals, which makes it difficult for business.
Rhorer and the alumni association created a petition asking council to give them more time, hoping they all could work together to keep the camp open.
In their petition, the association "We urge Simon Kenton Council to exhaust all possible options short of closing CLR. Such an action would not only sadden the thousands who have experienced the Magic of CLR since the camp opened its doors in the 1960s, but would also deprive future generations of scouts in and out of Ohio of one of the most magical camps in this country," Alumni Association said.
In a statement given to 10TV, Jeff Moe the Scout Executive, CEO of the Simon Kenton Council said,
"Our committee has been meeting for almost 3 years to review and address challenges in facility improvements and camp use at the four camps we own and operate. While our council is financially sound today, we know our current model of operating these camps is not sustainable, and we are working to ensure our Scots, including future generations, will receive the best possible programs at top-quality camps," Jeff Moe said.
The council is holding a meeting today at Best Western Adena Inn in Chillicothe to answer questions and give more details.
We reached out to Camp Lazarus and have not heard back.