SPRINGVILLE — Utah County wants the troops of Boy Scouts who will set up tents at a new campground in Buck Hollow to be prepared for forest fires.
That's why officials are requiring the Scouts to install firefighting facilities before they will allow them to take over the 1,320-acre area that could be used by 400 boys daily from June to August.
It hasn't been an easy task. Water issues have made the effort to build the campground difficult, officials say.
Once completed, the camp would be available to the 57,400 Boy Scouts in the Utah National Parks Council, said Tom Powell, executive director of the council.
The land owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — located about 15 miles into the Hobble Creek Canyon area east of Springville — will need a 60,000—gallon water tank linked to fire hydrants spaced every 500 feet, said Steve Foster, a facilities director for the Boy Scout council.
Foster says that's more water than the troops will use all summer. The tank also would supply the camp's drinking and bathing water.
"They're treating this like a major subdivision," Foster said. "This is just a Scout camp."
Initially, the county wanted a 120,000—gallon tank, but Foster negotiated that down when he agreed to install fire sprinklers in a storage building.
The group also wants to build a fort, a tepee village, a weather station and a circle of covered wagons. A pavilion, bathrooms and sites for tents are also planned.
There are other hurdles to be jumped, Foster said.
Scout leaders need to drill a well that will be used to keep the tank filled. The state engineer has said the Scout council can tap the underground water.
But final approval may not be given until other legal issues are worked out, said James Riley, a representative of the state engineer's office.
The Boy Scouts and the Springville Irrigation District still need to resolve the water-rights issue, which questions whether the LDS Church owns water rights with its land, said Marlin Boyer, a water company spokesman.
The county also requires that the road into the camp be able to handle fire trucks. The Army National Guard built the 3.5 mile road as part of a training exercise.
"That saved us $300,000," Foster said.
The county engineer still has to verify that the road meets local government requirements, said Jeff Mendenhall, county planner.
However, a lot of the work has already been done by other groups. For example, as part of training exercises, the National Guard cut out campsites and a new road from the steeper back side, Foster said.
"They've practically built the entire infrastructure."
But the Boy Scouts still need a use permit from the county before the camp can be completed. Like getting a merit badge, that means meeting all the requirements.
Foster is to meet April 18 with the county Planning Commission. County requirements will add $100,000 to the camp's price tag, Foster said.
The entire project could cost as much as $200,000.
So, while Foster is working to get a use permit for the camp, he's also on a quest to raise the money to pay for it.