October 22, 2009 (Download the original pdf here.)

An Open Letter to the Volunteers, Scouting Alumni and

Scouting Families in the Grand Columbia Council:

The Grand Columbia Council is at a crossroads. As a council we are facing a financial situation that must

be addressed so that we can effectively serve the Scouting volunteers, units, and Scouts of our council. To

this end, the Executive Board has developed a business plan to make our council financially sustainable

both now and in the future. This plan includes fund raising, sale of some assets, and reversing the decline

in annual support that is our ‘life-blood’ known as Friends of Scouting.

The Executive Board (our volunteer Board of Directors) has made the extremely difficult and emotional

decision to authorize the sale of part or all of our properties at Scout-A-Vista (SAV) and Summit Lake to

help accomplish this goal.

Just prior to our recent Board Meeting, we received a request from Dr. Richard Bennion, Apple Valley

District Chairman and Steve Clive, District Finance Chairman to look at options that could save the portion

of Scout-A-Vista that has been used for many years for unit, district, and council events. We have

received similar requests from others throughout the council. During the meeting, we discussed these ideas

and Dr. Michael Murphy, Council President, stated in the meeting that if adequate funds could be raised to

retire the council debt through fund raising or selling excess property at SAV for an adequate amount, etc.,

the council would not sell the portion that everyone knows and loves as Scout-A-Vista, (please see pages

32-33 of the Business Plan).

Selling properties will take time as the council officers will involve real estate and development

professionals as well as conservation easement experts to evaluate the value of these camps prior to

listing them on the market. Robert Fawcett, our Scout Executive, has been approached by volunteers

interested in raising major gifts to retire the debt and for the possible preservation of Scout-A-Vista. He

has offered the full support of the council to such an effort.

Again, the need of the council is to raise operating funds and eliminate the council’s debt. This debt was

caused by several years of accumulated operating deficits as well as cost over-runs for infrastructure

development at a council camp that serves Scouts throughout the council as a Boy Scout Camp facility. We

also need each Scouting unit within the council to work to achieve their fair-share Friends of Scouting goal

on an annual basis, so that this type of situation does not develop again.

After the debt is retired, it is also our plan and need to develop donor designated endowment funds for

the support of the council and for the maintenance and operation of our camps. Our executive and

support staff, council officers and Executive Board members are committed to providing quality camping

facilities that are operated efficiently and effectively for the youth of our council. We are committed to

have an effective and exciting Scouting Program for youth throughout Central Washington as an

autonomous council.

Sincerely,

Grand Columbia Council Executive Committee

Dr. Michael Murphy, President Randyl Webb, Council Commissioner David Cobia, Treasurer

Fr. Sam Bellino, Vice President LeRoy Thompson, Vice President Dr. Bob McLaughlin, Vice President

Bruce Heiser, Vice President Pete Feltrup, Vice President Robert Fawcett, Scout Executive

Bob Sinclair, Council Int’l. Rep. Dr. Bruce Noonan, Vice President