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There are some waves, but “so far, so good,” said Atty. Ned Gold, long-time scout leader
WARREN
The Greater Western Reserve Council of the Boy Scouts of America was closed Jan. 1 when five councils in Northeast Ohio were consolidated into three.
The five area councils involved in the consolidation are the Great Trail Council with headquarters in Akron; the Greater Cleveland Council with headquarters in Cleveland; the Greater Western Reserve Council with headquarters at 4930 Enterprise Drive NW in Warren: the Heart of Ohio Council with headquarters in Mansfield; and the Buckeye Council with headquarters in Canton.
The Greater Western Reserve Council, which previously served Scouting programs in Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties, split in half.
Scouting leaders from Trumbull and Mahoning counties voted Sept. 29, 2016, to join the Great Trail Council; and Boy Scout organizations in Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga became part of the Greater Cleveland Council.
For the first time in more than 100 years, there is no Boy Scout office in Warren, said Warren Atty. Ned C. Gold Jr., who has been in Scouting for 67 years.
Despite sadness over that loss, Gold, a member of an expanded Great Trail Council executive board, described the merger – despite some small bumps in the road – as “so far, so good.” Gold was the national representative for the Greater Western Reserve Council.
The former Greater Western Reserve units seem to be overall happy with the merger, he said.
“We had problems when Trumbull and Mahoning merged. But, this was a more comfortable merger,” Gold said.
“The key is that we always have to look at how we are serving the boy. The merged council is financially stronger and can offer a greater variety of programs,” he said.
What the merger does, said Mike Jones, Scout executive for the Great Trail Council, which now serves Scouts in Medina, Portage, Summit, Mahoning, Trumbull and northern Wayne counties, is put more resources toward the Scouts rather than maintaining two offices and administrations.
With the addition of Trumbull and Mahoning counties’ 3,000 Scouts, the Great Trail Council’s number of Scouts grew to about 13,000.
Under the merger, Jones said Camp Stambaugh in Mahoning County remained a Boy Scout and Cub Scout camp, and that $100,000 will be spent at Camp Stambaugh to improve facilities.
In a letter last fall to the Arrowhead and Whispering Pines districts, Jones acknowledged that the decision to divide and merge the Greater Western Reserve Council could be difficult for some.
“Although this decision may for many be one filled with great emotion, it was a decision to move forward to improve the local sustainability of Scouting,” Jones said.
Officials said that Camp Stigwandish, a 350-acre property in Madison owned by the Greater Western Reserve Council, could no longer be used for summer camp because the council could not afford upgrades required by the Ohio and U.S. EPAs, so Scouts began going to other areas for camping.
In addition, said Jones, who has been in Scouting for 37 years in four cities – Columbus, Dayton, Parkersburg, W.Va., and most recently 22 years in Akron – two district executives, or field representatives, will remain living in and serving Trumbull and Mahoning counties with direct services such as promoting Scouting and starting new troops.
Jones said the merger, preceded by population studies and budget projections and town-hall meetings throughout the Greater Western Reserve Council, was well-thought out and has been very successful.
Jones estimated the merger would result in an estimated $100,000 in annual savings.
“Email and the internet have really changed how you serve Scouting. An office is not needed in every city because everything is online,” he said.