Group wants Scouts' property condemned

Web posted May 10, 2000

 Have a thought? Go to the @ugusta Forums.

By Damon Cline
Staff Writer

Economic development officials will ask Augusta city government to condemn an acre of property owned by the Boy Scouts of America.

STAFF

The Development Authority of Richmond County says the Scouts' property, which has a two-mile easement through the middle of the authority's undeveloped 1,730-acre Augusta Corporate Park, jeopardizes plans to attract new companies to the mega-industrial site.

The acre, the last remnants of a 400-acre gift by Kimberly-Clark Corp. in 1993, is accessed by a dirt road that potential industrial tenants could not obstruct with fences or factories.

``We'd like to be the sole owner of the entire tract and not have any small tract that may or may not be problematic later on,'' development authority Chairman Monty Osteen said.

The Georgia-Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America says the property is for sale. However, the development authority's decision last week to pursue condemnation is evidence the two sides have been unable to agree on a sale price since the first meetings in 1998.

Although development authority members won't publicly discuss politics surrounding the real estate issue, sources close to the group said some members believe the Scouts are using the acre and its easement to extort money from the county.

The Scouts retained the acre when it sold the bulk of the Kimberly-Clark gift to two private landowners in separate deals in 1998.

Last year the development authority successfully condemned and purchased about 208 acres from one of the private landowners. However, the one-acre parcel and easement required a separate condemnation.

``We kept one acre plus the easement hoping that we can sell the easement to the county to make extra money,'' according to board meeting minutes of the Scout council's meeting July 7, 1998.

Ed Stalnaker, a local attorney and the council's vice president of property, acknowledges the organization that represents 6,000 Scouts in 16 counties retained the acre as a strategic move to generate money for scouting programs.

``We felt that the easement was an important component of the property gifted to us,'' he said. ``... We feel we have a responsibility to benefit the Scouts of our council.''

Money from the council's sale of real estate is placed in a trust fund whose interest income helps pay for scouting programs, Mr. Stalnaker said.

If the city successfully condemns the property, the council would be forced to sell the land to the development authority at fair market value.

On April 27, the development authority requested its attorney, Jerry Dye, to ask the city to initiate condemnation procedures. City Attorney Jim Wall said Tuesday he had not received notification from Mr. Dye.

Kimberly-Clark gave the development authority 1,522 acres at the same time it donated the adjacent 400 acres to the Scouts.

The authority's 1,730-acre industrial site is off Georgia Highway 56 in south Augusta near Burke County.

Reach Damon Cline at (706) 823-3486.