Scout leaders vow to rebuild, launch $2.5M campaign
DYSARTSVILLE — Boy Scout leaders are pledging to rebuild following the total destruction of Camp Grimes’ much-loved dining hall in a fire Nov. 13.
Emergency agencies responded to a call in reference to a fire at Camp Grimes Boy Scout Camp on Vein Mountain Road at 6:18 p.m. Sunday.
Dysartsville, Nebo, Marion, Glenwood, Hankins, P.G., Sugar Hill and West End fire departments, the N.C. Forest Service, McDowell EMS, McDowell Rescue Squad and Emergency Management responded, finding the camp’s 40-year-old Belk Dining Hall fully engulfed in flames. They worked quickly to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the camp.
Pictured above: The Belk Dining Hall at Boy Scouts' Camp Grimes in Dysartsville was completely destroyed in a fire Nov. 13. Scout leaders are pledging to rebuild the dining hall and make other improvements to the iconic camp in the South Mountains. (Photo provided by the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America)
Local fire investigators later determined that the cause of the fire, which originated in the kitchen, was accidental and unrelated to nearby forest fires that have been raging for weeks in the South Mountains.
Chris Williams, camp ranger and employee with the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, was on site at the time with his family when he noticed the flames and called 911.
According to Williams, no one was inside the dining hall and there were no injuries sustained, but he called the building a “total loss.”
Williams complimented the numerous agencies that responded, claiming that their quick response prevented the flames from spreading throughout the property.
Camp Grimes remains open, although a region-wide ban on burning prevents campers from having campfires.
In a message emailed to Scouts across the region and posted online, Mark Turner of the BSA’s Mecklenburg County Council wrote, “The memories built over the last 40 years are steeped deep within our community and this is a tremendous emotional loss to our Scouting family. Structures can be rebuilt, but we lost items that can never be replaced. Lost were the original hand carved entrance signs to Camp Grimes erected in 1976. Many neckerchief slides hand carved by Gene Grimes were also lost. The memorabilia has taken decades to gather, but we know deep inside we will begin to build our new memories and traditions.”
A fire destroyed the 40-year-old dining hall at Boy Scout Camp Grimes in Dysartsville Nov. 13. The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. (Photo by Dustin Chandler, The McDowell News) To that end, Turner said, Scout leaders have rallied to launch a campaign to raise $2.5 million to replace the dining hall with a larger, more modern facility as well as upgrade other central buildings at Camp Grimes to ensure that the iconic camp will serve many future generations of young people.
They plan to build a larger dining hall with a heating and air conditioning system, so that it can be used year-round by more campers. They also plan to refurbish the adjacent open shelter and flag plaza, as well as update the trading post, laundry facility, and indoor climbing wall area.
The entire project will cost an estimated $3.5 million. They anticipate receiving approximately $1 million from their insurance policy to put towards the rebuilding campaign, Turner noted.
A GoFund Me account has been set up with a goal of $500,000 to help with the site cleanup and rebuilding effort.
Donations can also be mailed to: Mecklenburg County Council, Boys Scouts of America, Camp Grimes Building Fund, 1410 East 7th St., Charlotte, NC 28204.
— Dustin Chandler, The McDowell NewsCatholic News Herald contributed.