Activity pavilion opened at Maple Dell Scout camp
A new facility at Maple Dell Scout Camp in Payson Canyon was officially dedicated and opened for use Sept. 9 with hopes it will attract not only more Scouts, but also family reunions, church groups and other gatherings.
The Stake Activity Pavilion, located on the mountain high above most of Maple Dell’s camping areas and other buildings, houses a full kitchen large enough to cook for 150 people and a dining area as well as private bathrooms and showers. Next to it is a small outdoor amphitheater with bleacher seating and a fire pit.
Paid for through donations, the building opened Heaters has installedto garage-stylethe outdoorsinside doors makein the thatthe summer. buildingcan be usable during cold winter months. There are areas around the building where tents can be pitched. The facility can accommodate groups of up to 150 people. Scouts will use the building, but it will also be open to other groups such as families and churches. Scout Executive Dave Pack of the Utah National Parks Council, which owns and operates Maple Dell, said the council is moving from the traditional Scout camp model to a more multi-purpose, multi-functional model.
“We are in the process of raising money to build 25 of these buildings throughout our 12 Scout camps,” Pack said.
The Maple Dell facility is the second Stake Activity Pavilion to be built in Utah. The Utah National Parks Council built its first Stake Activity Pavilion at the Marion D. Hanks Scout Camp at Quail Creek, which is located near Hurricane. That facility was dedicated in March.
“We hope this becomes a regular pattern for us in this council as we’re able to dedicate these wonderful Stake Activity Pavilions,” said Rondo Fehlberg, former president of the Utah National Parks Council.
The activity pavilions will allow the council to increase the number of Scouts that can enjoy its camps each year. Pack said when the planned pavilions are completed, the council will be able to accommodate about 50,000 Scouts each summer.
“In the end, it’s all about the young men and the young women that will have opportunities to participate here,” Pack said.
The Sept. 9 ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Maple Dell facility included a dedicatory prayer given by Elder Dale H. Munk, an Area Seventy with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Located five miles up Payson Canyon, Maple Dell Scout Camp is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The campground serves up to 650 Scouts a week during the summer.