The fate of the Trexler Scout Reservation is still in the air, but organizations have been putting together bids to take over the 755-acre piece of nature in Polk Township.
One of them is the Pocono Heritage Land Trust, which recently submitted a bid for the Boy Scout camp, which has a history stretching back more than 90 years. Executive Director Louise Troutman was limited in what she could say because of a non-disclosure agreement, but was worried about potential competition for Camp Trexler.
“I can tell you that we did submit a bid, and that we are concerned that there might be a bidding war,” Troutman said on Wednesday. “So we’re continuing to raise money so that we can hopefully continue to be a viable bid.”
Troutman said she thinks there are less than 10 bidders, who had to submit them by March 24, and the winner may be decided as early as next week.
Other bidders have remained anonymous, but Troutman and Linda Snyder, another PHLT member who lives in Polk Township, said WM, formerly known as Waste Management, is one of them.
WM spokesperson Judith Archibald confirmed the company’s bid in an email to The Morning Call on Friday.
“WM was made aware of the published request for proposal for Camp Trexler and after review of the property details, we submitted a response to the RFP,” Archibald said in the email. “While the responses to the RFP are confidential, WM awaits alongside other respondents for the completed review by the broker.”
“We believe our proposal offers a balance of environmental, economic and community benefits to the local area,” Archibald said. “If WM is selected to continue in the process, we look forward to presenting our concept to the community. The concept currently being reviewed is under a non-disclosure agreement.”
WM owns the Grand Central Landfill in Plainfield Township.
The 2023 season will likely be the last one for Camp Trexler. The Minsi Trails Council, which covers the Lehigh Valley region, announced in March 2022 that it plans to sell the land to raise money for its share of a historic nationwide settlement with thousands of people who say they were abused when they were Scouts.
Under the BSA Chapter 11 plan of reorganization, an Abuse Victims Trust will be established and funded with at least $2.7 billion. Minsi Trails, which has been implicated in more than 130 abuse cases, is required to contribute $2.6 million to that fund.
The council announced that starting in 2024, all Minsi Trails camping activity will be transferred from Trexler to Camp Minsi in Coolbaugh and Tobyhanna townships.
Officials from Minsi Trail Council did not return messages from The Morning Call.
Commercial real estate company Avison Young’s Philadelphia office is handling the sale. A spokesperson from the firm had no comment.
Camp Trexler’s fate is an emotional issue for many in the area. Besides the woods and habitats, the land serves as the headwaters for Middle Creek, which flows to Beltzville Lake.
Troutman had said the land, which features two lakes, a 65-foot climbing wall and zipline, a crafts building and hiking trails, could go for as much as $4.5 million. However, she is concerned that if companies such as WM are also bidding, it could drive the price even higher.
“There’s no asking price,” Troutman said, “it’s just whatever the market will bear. They set it up for a bidding war.”
Snyder said donations are continuing to come in through the PHLT website and social media for The 1928 Coalition, a preservation group.
She said PHLT is matching any donations and has raised $150,000 with a goal of $500,000. Monroe County has already donated $1 million, while Polk and Chestnut Hill townships have also given donations.
“We’ve gotten really great, generous donations from a lot of people,” Troutman said. “We have over 500 people who have donated to us. It’s really nice that there’s this huge community support for the project.”
If PHLT is able to purchase the land, it plans to create a camp for juvenile burn victims and turn the rest of it into a public nature preserve.
“It’s a nice plan for the property and I think it really speaks to what Harry Trexler and all of those nice farmers that live nearby had in mind when they either donated themselves a property to the camp,” Troutman said.