Hill County Park Board works with Girl Scouts to keep camp in Beaver Creek Park

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to show the Girl Scouts are considering moving their summer camp to a camp in the Little Rocky Mountains.

The Hill County Park Board heard from Girl Scouts of America leader Jody Corner Monday about wanting to keep using Kiwanis Campground as the location of their summer camp.

The Girl Scouts are facing a financial burden and may be forced to relocate its camp, scheduled for June 7, to a camp in the Little Rocky Mountains near Zortman due to lower rates there. There are 107 girls in Havre Girl Scouts and 27 have applied for financial assistance.

The board has increased the rates for staying at the camp, causing the Girl Scouts to have to raise their rates higher if they can’t reach a deal with the park board. The leadership said that they would prefer to stay at Kiwanis because it’s closer to the hospital, which is helpful if there is an emergency.

The Girl Scouts are looking into fundraising opportunities to raise the money needed to rent the camp.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean suggested filling some open work positions at the fair.

“The fair has openings for parking ticket attendants. These are four-hour shifts and the fair board is looking to fill these positions quickly,” McLean said.

The Girls Scouts are considering that option, but new rules set by the national Girl Scouts restrict scouts from working close to roads, Corner said.

“Because of a deadly incident in 2018, the national leadership have really cracked down on the opportunities the Girl Scouts can take advantage of to earn service hours,” she said.

They also proposed doing service projects around the camp in trade for its use. The Girl Scouts said that 10 leaders were willing to do service hours any time of the year. Aubrey Williams, assistant to the superintendent of Beaver Creek Park said that service projects had previously been done on the camp during stays by other groups.

Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said he likes that the Girl Scouts approached the board about this first, but doesn’t want to start a precedent.

“However, it helps us in the long run, to not have to hire someone to fix up the camp,” Edgar said.

McLean suggested the Girl Scouts hold a bake sale inside the Hill County Courthouse, as it has helped other organizations looking to raise funds.

The board unanimously approved a motion to allow $800 in-kind service and the Girl Scouts would have to raise $1,200.