Boy Scouts looking to begin renovations of Harford campus by the end of 2024
The Boy Scouts of America is raising money to fund renovations to its Broad Creek campus in Northern Harford County. It hopes to complete the upgrades by the end of 2024.
Through a capital campaign, the Baltimore Area Council will fund the renovations, which include a 450-seat dining area, a campfire arena and bathroom facilities among other improvements.
“The new 450-seat dining hall is a great example of what an additional community resource this facility will be for Harford County,” said Kenn Miller, CEO of the Baltimore Area Council, in an emailed statement. “While all three camps on the Scout Reservation are used extensively every weekend and through the summer, we see great opportunity for weekday and evening rentals.”
However, the project will not start until the funding is secured. The goal for the Broad Creek Capital Campaign is $9.4 million, and the campaign had received $7.7 million in donations from more than 500 contributors through the end of last week.
The campaign also includes endowments to secure the long-term future and maintenance needs of the reservation. BSA has received commitments of $3.8 million for the Broad Creek endowment.
“A founding principal of Scouting is to provide youth the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, self-reliance and positive interaction with others in an outdoor environment,” Miller said. “It has been a number of years since a major reinvestment in Broad Creek has occurred. We also see these capital projects as a great opportunity to engage more community organizations to utilize Broad Creek.”
The Baltimore Area Council was founded in 1911 and since that time has delivered the scouting
program to the youth of Harford, Carroll, Howard, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties in addition to Baltimore City.
Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation was founded in 1948 and is nearly 1,700 acres with three independent camping facilities.
The scouting reservation celebrated its 75th anniversary last year and has a yearround attendance of nearly 24,000.
Through the years, reservation has helped nearly one million youth obtain life skills involved in their programs”.
“We know that when youth are involved in scouting they learn valuable life skills and lessons that will stay with them the rest of their lives, and ultimately make our communities better for everyone,” Miller said in an emailed statement.
Katie Carico, a scouting volunteer, said her family had their first camping trip at Broad Creek in February 2009 when her sons were Cub Scouts.
Since then, Carico spent many weekends and a few
summer camp weeks at Broad Creek with her three sons. And now her daughter attends, taking her first canoe ride there last summer, Carico said.
“Although the Cubs were apprehensive for the adventure of camping away from normal comforts, they came back with a new confidence and memories they won’t forget,” Carico said in an email. “After spending a week there, Elizabeth, who is 10, has declared Broad Creek her favorite place and that week was her best ever, and can’t wait to return. She is counting the days until her first Troop campout there next month.”
Currently, Carico said her sons camp and volunteer with the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s honor society, where youth up to age 21 take on leadership roles and the adults mentor them through their activities.
“My boys have grown through planning and leading events at Broad Creek for groups of Scouts from around the Baltimore area,” Carico said.
Families are looking forward to the Broad Creek renovations because it opens up new opportunities for the kids, Carico said.
Miller said the upgrades should improve recruitment of new youth and their retention in scouting, and the continued development of Broad Creek will allow them to serve more youth and stay relevant to the needs of today’s youth.
“We believe that every youth in the greater Baltimore area should have the opportunity to participate in scouting,” Miller said in an email.
To determine a fundraising campaign goal, a capital campaign study was held with scouting alumni and supporters, and business and community leaders to share the vision for the development of Broad Creek.
Additionally, Broad Creek Scouting Reservation will have the first week of its summer program from June 23 to June 29. Miller said the reservation will be able to keep the cost for a youth to attend Broad Creek in the summer at $455 per week.
For more information on Broad Creek, visit broadcreekbsa.org/.