The future of a Boy Scout Camp in Monroe County remains up in the air as bids are on the table to buy it. Camp Trexler in Polk Township is being sold to pay for thousands of sex abuse claims. Now a group of concerned citizens are joining the fight to keep the land from being developed.
A group of Polk Township residents are calling out for help to save Camp Trexler.
Polk Township Resident David Fradkin says, "There’s a garbage company that might be looking to make a landfill here and then there’s home developers which would clear cut the area and it would just end up being hundreds of homes so we’re real concerned about that."
A spokesperson for the Minsi Trails Council confirms they’ve received nine official bids from potential buyers that are wide-ranging in both offer prices and plans for the 755-acre Jonas property. But non-disclosure agreements prevents them from sharing any specifics of the sale. He does tell us that the purchase price will be important when considering a future owner but not the only factor.
Fradkin says, "The Boy Scouts motto and they teach the children, to preserve the land and to be conscious of it so we’re just kind of upset that it could end up being commercialized."
That’s why residents are looking to gather up funds and support for The Pocono Heritage Land Trust to win the bidding war. The non-profit understands the importance of keeping it as is.
Pocono Heritage Land Trust Board Member Linda Snyder says, "There’s a big biodiversity of animals and plants that cannot live anywhere else like Woodduck, and it’s one of the last pieces of big open space in Monroe County, and it provides so many environmental advantages, particularly the water."
A neighbor of the property also put in an offer. The Valor Clinic Foundation would like to use the land to further help veterans but they also have the same interests as the Pocono Heritage Land Trust.
Valor Clinic Founder Mark Baylis says, "If It’s Valor that wins, the land stays conserved, the buildings stay preserved and continue to be used, the community still gets access, we can prevent veteran suicide and provide workforce development in an technology area that’s one of the state’s priorities."
Both nonprofits are on board to work together to save the camp from development. And the residents tell us they also don’t want the established buildings to sit empty.
Fradkin says, "There is a camp area down there that the Boy Scouts used and then there’s also untouched land so we could split it up anyway that people are interested in."
If you’d like to help either group, just go to their websites to contact them. The Council plans to have a letter of intent from a potential buyer prior to the summer months. While we’re told the cut-off date in accepting bids has passed, the Council will still consider any interested qualified buyers that submit an offer.