But in a nutshell, the town meetings felt like a huge success, primarily because;
- We know we continue to have council's support in doing what we can to save the camp
- We have new knowledge about options and combinations of options that keep the door open for saving the camp, *if we can raise the money*
- Kay Smith (Westana's caretaker) has nurtured an independent bank account started by the previous care taker, so we can pay for a new appraisal (a key first step in moving forward; this is not something other camps have, that we have because it's from a long time ago and was maintained over the years)
- Everyone present at both meetings got to speak and showed enthusiasm and commitment to moving forward (the money is overwhelming but everyone is willing to try)
This is on our shoulders locally to pull off, but with Girl Scouts councils nationally all down-sizing their number of camps, we are fortunate to have our council's full support in attempting this.
Most of the options available don't involve owning the camp; it will remain school trust land under most scenarios, but there are easement and other options that do allow us to save the camp if we can raise the money.
Our first steps are:
- New appraisal
- Assess what qualifying local entities are most interested in and are the best fit for applying for an easement (more details on these types of particulars will be posted later)
- Funding options (donors, grants, any feasible options)
- Keep working toward deciding which option or set of options (easement, land exchange, etc.) are the best fit
- Work out the details for accepting donations (which people have enquired about giving since the first week, but we couldn't/can't even think about taking money until we've got council approval and followed the right steps as part of a non-profit organization)
Bottom line is that we are moving forward!
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