Daily Interlake Editorial March 31

"And in the meantime, state officials could earn their own merit badge by taking another look at this exorbitant lease increase. At the very least consideration should be given to phasing in bigger lease payments over several years."


http://www.dailyinterlake.com/opinion/editorials/article_59ee3a96-7af2-11e1-a7b3-001a4bcf887a.html

It’s ironic that just as the Girl Scouts have kicked off a centennial celebration for the national youth organization, the state of Montana stands ready to pull the plug on a local Girl Scout camp that has helped thousands of girls learn life skills for 50 years.

Camp Westana on Lower Stillwater Lake north of Whitefish could close because the Girl Scouts can’t afford an annual lease increase from $5,000 to $25,000. Scout leaders are weighing a number of options but already have said that kind of increase is cost-prohibitive.

A worst-case scenario is that Camp Westana would be bulldozed to clear the way for the state to do something more lucrative with the land. It would demolish five decades’ worth of hard work by countless volunteers who have expanded and improved the camp facilities through the years.

Since 1962 Camp Westana has been a special place to teach girls values such as fairness, courage, compassion and confidence. These young girls must be asking where the fairness is in this situation.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, mandated to capture full market value from all of its leases on nearly 5.9 million acres of school trust lands, has determined Camp Westana’s 7.2 acres and 300 feet of lake frontage is worth $500,000. That’s why the Girl Scouts’ lease is increasing five-fold.

The mandate to generate revenue to support public schools certainly is a worthy cause; schools need money, too. But it seems the pendulum has swung too far in recent years. This all-or-nothing approach makes it next to impossible for nonprofit groups to compete for use of the state lands. The Girl Scouts could buy a permanent easement for a half-million dollars, but unless some deep-pocketed benefactor steps forward that seems unlikely.

Thankfully, the state has agreed to give the Girl Scouts a one-year extension before the higher lease payment kicks in. Perhaps this is enough time for our legislators to address the dilemma and determine if some kind of exemption or compromise could be forged.

Fundraising is another possibility. Let’s not forget the Boy Scouts had to raise $1.5 million several years ago to buy Melita Island on Flathead Lake from the island’s private owner. That deal was just days away from a make-or-break deadline when an anonymous couple chipped in $1 million.

The Girl Scouts are organizing town meetings to be held in the area this spring to gauge public support and get feedback about what can be done to save Camp Westana.

And in the meantime, state officials could earn their own merit badge by taking another look at this exorbitant lease increase. At the very least consideration should be given to phasing in bigger lease payments over several years.