Central Carolina Boy Scouts look to rebuild after trading post fire at Camp Barnhardt
Published 12:00 am Friday, September 21, 2012
By Nathan Hardin
nardin@salisburypost.com
Scouts will have a better Trading Post building at Camp John J. Barnhardt.
But it will take a while.
The Trading Post, which held the camp’s snack bar and various scouting memorabilia, caught fire shortly after a storm Tuesday afternoon.
Todd Walther, scout executive for the Central North Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said organizers began planning in 2010 for a larger building at the Stanly County camp.
Still, he said, with all things going right, it won’t be ready until the fall of 2014.
“Our focus right now is for a temporary basis,” Walther said.
A camp ranger spotted the blaze about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Stanly County Fire Marshal Michael Roark said the fire burned so long it was difficult to investigate.
“Given the condition of the structure, or the lack thereof, there really wasn’t anything we could do from an investigative standpoint,” Roark said.
Fire crews have checked with the National Weather Service for lightning strikes in the area. Roark said weather operators told him it was a “low probability.”
The fire continues to be investigated and Roark said he is checking with other weather organizations in the area for information.
Walther said the camp hosted scouts for six weeks this summer. It will continue to have planned events every weekend. In fact, Walther said, as many as 350 could be there this weekend.
“Our program areas are all fine. Our camping areas are all fine,” he said.
Walther said he’s working with the insurance company and properties committee, but expects to set up a temporary structure until the new building is up.
The new Trading Post is expected to be LEED certified – meaning it meets certain environmental and energy standards – and will house a dining hall, snack bar, classroom and will also store scouting supplies and scouting memorabilia.
The fire, he said, won’t speed the process of building a new structure. But having the initial plans and some funds gathered makes the process easier.
“My primary concern was that everybody was safe, nobody was hurt,” he said. “Everything, for the most part, is replaceable.”
Contact reporter Nathan Hardin at 704-797-4246.