Associated Press Published

Two W.Va.-based Boy Scouts Councils Plan Merger

Boy Scouts sit under pipe at 2013 Scout Jamboree

Two West Virginia-based Boy Scouts of America councils are planning to merge.
 

Members of the Huntington-based Tri-State Area Council and the Charleston-based Buckskin Council will vote on whether to approve the merger on May 29.
 
Tri-State Area Council serves parts of West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. Buckskin Council serves the majority of West Virginia, and parts of Virginia and Kentucky.
 
Tri-State Area Council president John R. VanHorn tells The Herald-Dispatch that his group’s fundraising has declined. He says the merger will provide scouts with more opportunities, and more resources will be available for camp improvements and maintenance.
 
The new council would begin operations July 1, if the merger is approved by the councils’ members and the national organization.