Boy Scouts unveil renovated service center
The Westmoreland Fayette Council of Boy Scouts of America took a bad situation and made it better after severe winter weather resulted in damages in its Scout Service Center.
The aftermath led to the first renovations since the one-story, brick structure, located at 2 Garden Center Drive in Greensburg, was built in 1984. It serves 10,000 youth and adults in Fayette and Westmoreland counties.
“The Scouts were very pleased that three chambers of commerce (Fayette County, Westmoreland County and Norwin) participated in our ribbon cutting,” said Martin Barbie, scout executive, about a recent ceremony to unveil the changes and commemorate the council’s 75th anniversary. “It showed the ongoing partnership we have between out organization and the business community.”
Matthew Dowling, of Uniontown, who is the council’s development director, explained the renovations were initiated after a boiler pipe in the building froze and cracked over a weekend last winter. When Barbie came to work that Monday, he saw water coming from an office storage area. He opened the door and steam had built up, triggering an alarm and alerting fire and police departments.
Restoration work was needed but the council also decided to do some renovations to the inside of the structure, using insurance money and applying for grants. An individual also made a private donation. Total cost for the project is about $50,000.
Dowling explained the center is divided into three main areas. The first is the conference area with a kitchen and reception space that can be used for training, scouting programs, and meetings by the administrative board, individual Scouting districts and community organizations. It is also the site for an on-going food collection.
Changes in this area included installation of new carpeting, doors, and paint on walls as well as the removal of over-sized, dated cabinets and an entertainment center. A television used for presentations was donated by Mundel’s Furniture of Uniontown. Table and chair storage was reconfigured to allow more space. Lighting was added that can be dimmed during presentations.
The kitchen was also painted and flooring installed to match the area.
The next space is a Scout shop, which is a licensed distributor for scouting merchandise that includes items as well as tents and camping supplies.
“The store was original to the 1984 design and packaging of items no longer fit the shelves or layout of the store,” noted Dowling. “We feel the store is an important aspect. We are able to offer quality items with good value at retail or below-retail price. And they’re also supporting scouting.”
The third area is for office space, which was not affected by the damage.
Officials restricted renovations here to a fresh coat of paint and cleaning the carpets.
Some changes in the heating and air conditioning unit meant opening a new passage and closing old ones but, otherwise, the outside of the building underwent no renovations.
Yet, the project spurred some volunteers to add their own touches to landscaping.
Dowling said multiple scout troops from both Fayette and Westmoreland counties volunteered to redo mulch areas, pulled weeds and redid plants around the building. In addition, a master gardener tore out old shrubs and planted new.
“That’s work we didn’t ask anyone to do,” Dowling noted of the volunteers.
“Once people saw the renovations were happening, they took pride in the building and the image it portrays for Scouting.”
David Slusarick, a Uniontown native who is executive for the Bushy Run District that includes Everson, said, “I think Scouting volunteers are very proud of the program we offer to young people, and now we have a facility that serves them better and reflects the pride we feel in the organization.”
While the building is based in Westmoreland County, it benefits Fayette County scouts who make use of services, such as the registrar and fund-raising assistant. Kristen Eagle, Old Trails executive who serves Fayette County, also has her office here.
Talking about the importance of Scouting, Dowling said, “While you don’t always see scouts in uniform on the streets, you see the impact of Scouting every day. We did 60,000 hours of community service between our scouts last year. That’s only our recorded time. We also do additional services that are not recorded.
“We have around 100 young men who reach the rank of Eagle Scout every year,” he continued. “They are required to do a service project. They do everything from a beautification project to a cemetery restoration to health and safety issues.”
Dowling noted, “We look at scouts themselves as an investment in our community. I see success story after success story of a young man having problems in school or in danger of going astray who sees something valuable in Scouting and becomes a more productive, engaged member of society.”