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Scouts can retain Trenton Times, New Jersey Pennington- The financially-troubled Boy Scouts of America has sold "The Rock" -- the 216-acre campsite in West Amwell Township -- for $605, 000 to a concrete company that is considering converting part of the legendary historical site into a stone quarry. But the sale of the property does not mean that the Boy Scouts won't enjoy the campsite for a few more years The boy Scouts will have use of the property and the existing camp facilities for the next 15 years, said Robert Filipski, executive of the Scout's George Washington Council. Filipski officially announced the sale yesterday from the council's headquarters in Pennington. A Scout ranger will also continue to reside in his house on the property, Filipski said. According to area legend, George Washington's troops used a promontory on the site with a view of the Delaware River as a lookout during the Revolutionary War. The George Washington Council -- governing body for Scouting in Mercer, Hunterdon and Warren counties -- was pleased with the sale because it will ease the council's financial burdens. Shrinking donations to the non-profit organization required the sale of the campsite, officially called the George Washington Scout Reservation, Filipski said. After expenses and debt obligations are met from the proceeds of the sale, the remaining funds will be invested in a restricted trust fund, Filipski said. He estimated that $400,000 will be pumped into the proposed trust fund, after $205,000 is spent to meet debts and expenses. The council expects to close on the sale in September, he added. In commenting on the purchase, Laurence Silvi Jr. of Silvi Concrete Products Inc. in Morrisville, said the purchasing company is technically John Lar Inc. Silvi would not elaborate on the relationship between the concrete firm and the John Lar Inc. However, he confirmed that the purchaser is considering reactivating an old quarry on part of the property, as well as considering other unspecified uses for the property. Return |