County planners review plans for Camp War Eagle

BENTONVILLE — Camp War Eagle could boost its daily camper capacity from about 600 to as many as 725 if expansion plans presented to Benton County planners on Wednesday are approved.

“The big picture is we want to expand our camper capacity,” Pete Day, camp director, told the Benton County Development Review Committee. “Right now, we can have as many as 600 kids at our camp, depending on how we house and supervise them.”

Camp War Eagle is in southeastern Benton County.

The Development Review Committee is an informal group of county planning staff and representatives of other departments who may be involved in reviewing applications for developments in rural Benton County. The staff works with developers to prepare their plans for submission to the Benton County Planning Board.

Day told the group initial plans for the camp were approved by the Washington County Planning Board on April 1, 2004. The land was in Washington County at the time, Day said, but later was transferred to Benton County at the same time some Benton County territory on the opposite side of Beaver Lake was transferred to Washington County. The land swap was initiated by camp officials to facilitate emergency services to the camp.

Camp officials came to Benton County in 2012 with expansion plans that have been only partially realized, Day said. In 2012 the plans called for the addition of 14 new cabins for campers. Only five have been built.

The new plan calls for another 10 cabins, plus an expanded staff house and bigger office and dining hall spaces. The camp also wants to increase its water storage capacity, add a water slide and swimming pool, and cover some tennis courts. The plan also calls for an expansion of the camp’s health center, Day said. The center doubles as a tornado shelter, and expansion is needed if the number of campers is to increase, Day said.

Eric Smith, assistant fire marshal for Benton County, said the facility is in compliance with rules and regulations administered by that office.

“They are in good shape.” Smith said. “They’ve been very receptive to everything I’ve asked them to do.”

Kevin Gambrill, planning director, said the proposal should be relatively straightforward because it builds on plans previously approved. No date was set for the plans to be reviewed by the Planning Board.

“We want to be sure we don’t try to reinvent the wheel,” Gambrill said.