Tourism Commission Chairman Endorses Ballot Issue

Boy Scouts' Reserve Could Be Big Tourism Draw

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Oct 25, 2014, 09:00 ET

GLEN JEAN, W.Va., Oct. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A state tourism leader is urging West Virginia voters to take advantage of a rare opportunity to leverage a unique facility to benefit the entire state. Former Senator Oshel Craigo, who is chairman of the West Virginia Tourism Commission, said approval of a constitutional amendment on the November ballot would allow the Boy Scouts of America to rent out facilities at the Summit Bechtel Reserve (SBR) in Fayette County and attract many new visitors to the state.

"The SBR is a one-of-a-kind venue not only for West Virginia but also for the entire country," Craigo, who is also a leading state business person, said. "The Boy Scouts built world-class facilities there for several outdoor sports, including mountain biking, BMX biking, skateboarding, archery, shooting, rock climbing, kayaking and swimming, as well as an 80,000-seat amphitheater. We need to help the Scouts bring in other organizations to use those facilities, because the added tourists would help many businesses and tax revenues for the entire state."

The amendment would allow the facilities to be rented out without endangering the SBR's property tax exemption that the Boy Scouts get as a nonprofit organization.

"Nothing else in the state offers us this opportunity to get tens of thousands of new tourists who will spend money at West Virginia merchants and pay sales, fuel and lodging taxes," Craigo said. "We all will benefit by getting the most out of the SBR. The mission of the Boy Scouts and the investment they are making in West Virginia is making a significant difference."

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SOURCE Boy Scouts of America