Medford, NY According to The Suffolk County Council, Boy Scouts of America, it announced to membership that it has made the very difficult decision to put the Council Headquarters building on the market.
The commercial building located at 7 Industrial Blvd., consists of office and warehouse space, and totals 14,400 s/f. Interested parties can contact Ben Howard of Hunt Corporate Services, Inc. The firm is handling the sale for the Council on a pro-bono basis.
David Hunt, president of the Suffolk County Council, shared with Suffolk County Council members that 2020 was an extremely difficult year for scouting in Suffolk County, and that the Coronavirus directly impacted many scouting and fundraising activities.
In addition to the challenges presented by the virus, the Boy Scouts of America filed an amended plan of Reorganization with the Bankruptcy Court last week, a critical step toward the national organization’s emergence from bankruptcy. The plan outlines the BSA’s proposed strategy to provide equitable compensation for victims of past abuse, and also address the BSA’s other financial obligations, so that Scouting can continue to serve youth for years to come. Hunt noted that the council’s specific involvement and potential contribution has not yet been finalized, but assured membership that the Council will always keep the best interests of Scouting families at the forefront of Council decisions as the reorganization process moves forward.
During his prepared comments, David Hunt shared, “I learned many years ago as an 11-year old scout to ‘be prepared,’ and that is what we are going to do! Last week, in anticipation of what will be required, the executive committee of the council voted unanimously to place the building that presently houses our council headquarters on the market. The building is the largest unrestricted asset we have and is debt-free. We are confident of our ability to secure replacement office space for council operations that will allow us to continue all our programs uninterrupted. The sale proceeds will hopefully allow us to meet the needs of the bankruptcy settlement.”
Hunt said, “I want to reiterate that the Suffolk County Council—which provides programming, financial, facility and administrative support to local units and individual Scouts in Suffolk County—has not filed for bankruptcy and remains as committed as ever to delivering Scouting’s unparalleled experiences to young people throughout our communities.”
Tim Green, council commissioner for the council, said, “Suffolk County’s Scouting value and our commitment to ensuring its future are evident in our numerous success despite the challenges presented in 2020. We had 226 Eagle Scouts in 2020. We built a beautiful Lodge at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp to honor the memory of Andrew McMorris. We were one of the very few Councils in the Country to run a summer day camp, various camporees and shooting sports days at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp. As a Council, we collected and distributed over 100,000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need. Thousands of scouts and volunteers thought outside the box and found ways to keep scouting thriving in the middle of a global pandemic.”
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