By Gary Lloyd
The oldest Girl Scouts camp in the state of Alabama is scheduled to be idled Friday.
Camp Gertrude Coleman in Trussville, operated as a Girl Scouts camp since 1925, is scheduled to permanently close as a Girl Scouts camp Friday.
At the May 9, 2012, Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama Board of Directors meeting, a 13-4 board vote approved of divesting the Camp Coleman property as part of Phase 2 of the group’s property plan.
Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama Community Partnership Chief Russell Jackson said last week that the new board of directors elected April 27 have been participating in work sessions to better understand what led the the three-phase property plan, which included the sale of four of the six Girl Scouts camps in the state.
“I’m assuming that at the conclusion of these work sessions, to ensure that everyone involved has the information needed to make an informed decision, the board will collectively decide on next steps,” Jackson said in an email.
Jackson said it was his understanding that the work sessions “may be ongoing until everyone feels good about moving forward with whatever decision is made by a majority of the board.”
The 140-acre camp along the Cahaba River appraised for $2.1 million, according to the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama website.
Trussville Mayor Gene Melton offered a $700,000 figure to buy the camp in March, subject to Trussville City Council approval. Melton said the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama rejected the offer.
“I tried to work out a deal with them, and they weren’t interested,” Melton said last month. “I was trying to find a way to keep the camp open and keep Girl Scout camping there. They just wanted to liquidate it.”
Melton said once the camp closes Friday, someone or a company would have to buy the land to determine what’s going to be there. He said there would probably be “just a handful of folks” who would be interested in keeping it as a camp.
Melton said should the camp not sell, the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama “might come back and revisit” selling the property to the city.
Melton said the property would be an “absolute great” place for Trussville Parks and Recreation since there is no green space or park property on that side of Trussville.
In December, Friends of Camp Coleman President Sarah Edwards filed a petition for pre-suit discovery against the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama regarding the three-phase property plan.
“The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama has done nothing wrong in making this decision,” the GSNCA says on its website. “We have consistently promised to keep our membership informed as we move forward.”
In February, the GSNCA formally responded to the discovery requests as the result of Edwards’ lawsuit. The GSNCA staff spent 339 hours searching for and gathering 10,945 pages of documents in response to the discovery requests. GSNCA requested to be reimbursed for reasonable expenses that took away from its mission of serving girls — $50 per hour for staff time ($16,950) and $.50 per page ($5,472.50) — before the actual documents were produced to Edwards and her attorneys, Bradford & Ladner. The official response can be found at www.girlscoutsnca.org/property.
Camp Coleman last June was favorably reviewed and listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission. A historical marker was unveiled near the bridge at the camp’s entrance earlier this year. Camp Coleman consists of 34 wooden structures and outbuildings constructed between 1925 and 1994.
There are approximately 250 Girl Scouts in Trussville, and 39,936 boxes of cookies were sold this year.
For more information about Camp Coleman, visit www.girlscoutsnca.org/camps/camp-coleman.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.