National Chief Scout Executive To Attend Grand Lodge Dedication At Boy Scouts’ Camp Durant

April 7, 2009 - PRLog -- The Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts of America will welcome Chief Scout Executive Robert “Bob” Mazzuca North Carolina for the opening of the new Grand Lodge at Camp Durant in Carthage, North Carolina on April 16. The Lodge opening is the culmination of an $8.7 Million Capital Campaign chaired by O. Temple Sloan, Jr.  The Occoneechee Council serves 12 North Carolina counties. Camp Durant will serve more than 1,900 Scouts this summer, and a total of 4,000 Scouts this year.

Located immediately above the Harrison Smith Aquatics Facility overlooking beautiful Nello Teer Lake, the 16,000 square-foot Grand Lodge Dining Hall will be the newest and most well-equipped dining facility at any Boy Scout camp in the United States. With seating for more than 700 guests at one time, the Grand Lodge can serve meals to campers quickly and efficiently through four serving lines. The Golden Corral kitchen boasts modern, commercial-grade equipment that will ensure every Scout, Scouter and guest at Camp Durant will receive high-quality and nutritious meals.

The Grand Lodge also features a spacious porch complete with rocking chairs, and easy access to the Camp Durant Snack Bar, the Camp Durant Trading Post and the fully-stocked and staffed Quartermaster Shed.

“The completion of the Grand Lodge is the culmination of efforts to make Camp Durant the best Boy Scout camp in the country,” said Rod Frankel, president of the Occoneechee Council.  “The investment made in Camp Durant will serve Scouts for years to come.  We are especially excited that Chief Scout Mazzuca has made time in his busy schedule to be part of the celebration.”

Chief Scout Mazzuca has been a professional Scouter for 37 years. He is an Eagle Scout and received the St. Georges Award for Adults (Catholic Church). He has been recognized multiple times for his service to the BSA, including a James E. West Fellow, Heritage Society member, and Baden-Powell Fellow.

As Chief Scout Executive he directs the administration of the organization, which consists of approximately 1,100 National Council employees, 5,800 local Council employees and almost 1.2 million adult volunteers who serve more than 4.5 million youth across the nation.

In addition to the Grand Lodge, other improvements at Camp Durant include ten miles of sewer pipe buried under new roads, a new water source storage unit has been installed, 15 new showers and bathrooms and ten new campsites have been added. The C. Harrison Smith Aquatics Center, training facility, handy craft shelter and pottery kiln, a two acre Blue Cross and Blue Shield activity field, and First Aid Shelter are also new additions.

About the Occoneechee Council
The Occoneechee Council is the local Boy Scouts of America Council that serves some 20,000 youth and 7,000 adults in central North Carolina. The Occoneechee Council is the largest Boy Scout Council in North Carolina and serves Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Lee, Moore, Orange, Vance, Wake and Warren counties. These twelve counties are divided into thirteen districts.
The Council headquarters is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Occoneechee Council operates three year-round camping properties, available for use by the units and districts of the Council and non-Scouting groups. The Occoneechee Scout Reservation, which includes Camp Durant and Camp Reeves, is a 2,400-acre wilderness property in Moore County. The other is Camp Campbell, a primitive camping facility is located on Kerr Lake, in Virginia.

Media Contact:
Rodger Skirvin
Occoneechee Council
800-662-7102 x 239 or
rskirvin@bsamail.org