Image source: LB Area Council of Boy Scouts of America

A telephone call (voice mail message left) and email by LBREPORT.com to Integral Communities on Friday afternoon (Oct. 11) received no response...so we don't know the buyer's precise plans for the property. However, the Integral Communities website says the firm "creates new opportunities from underutilized or undeveloped parcels of land through value-added land planning...[T]he company has successfully re-entitled, re-positioned and value engineered a wide and varied array of large-scale development projects...Today, the Integral team is effectively positioned to deliver projects...that match the needs of today's demands, including for sale, apartment, mixed-use and residential multi-family opportunities." We'll report the company's precise plans for the 4747 Daisy Ave. site as we learn them.

Long Beach Area Boy Scout Council Executive John Fullerton told LBREPORT.com that the interest earned on the sale proceeds will help fill a budget gap, make the Council fiscally sustainable and allow it to offer more programming. In April 2013, Mr. Fullerton stated in a mass emailing to Scouting families that in seeking to sell the property, it would continue to keep in mind its original objectives:

• 1) Maximize our return on the property to bolster our investment pool and allow us to upgrade other facilities.

• 2) Seek to preserve the property as open space and allow for continued usage of the property (especially for camping activities).

• 3) Keep the name of Will J. Reid somehow associated with the property.

The 11+ acre Will J. Reid facility has been part of the Long Beach Boy Scout Council for over 65 years and has been on the market for a few years. As reported by LBREPORT.com in April 2013, an option to purchase the property for $4.85 million by the non-profit Trust for Public Land expired without being exercised.

The Will J. Reid Scout Park is on the north side of RR tracks on the east bank of the L.A. river. Virginia Country Club is south of the RR tracks. USGS photo

The Will J. Reid Scout Camp -- familiar to generations of LB-area Boy Scouts -- includes a gated pool, two large conference rooms, a full kitchen, two smaller classrooms, a bowl for campfires and parking...and is immediately north of RR tracks between LB Blvd. and the L.A. River.

In 1941, oil man Will J Reid donated property to the Boy Scouts of America in Long Beach and one of those properties later because Will J Reid Scout Park. Most, if not all, Scouts in the Long Beach Area Council likely camped there. LBReport.com began reporting this story in June, 2010, when discussion about possibly selling the property created controversy.

An Oct. 10, 2013 emailing to Scouting families stated:

[Email text] Earlier this month, our board - working with our broker Inco Commercial Realty and other community leaders - completed the sale of Will J. Reid Scout Park. This transaction meets our long term objective of maximizing the return on the sale and finding a buyer with a commitment to enhancing our community.

As most of you are aware, over the last four years the Long Beach Area Council has struggled to find solutions to our ongoing operating budget deficits. After several attempts to find a buyer who could help preserve the park, the board decided to list the property on the open market. Careful consideration was given to find the best candidate who could meet the needs of the council and who could be a good partner in the neighboring community.

As directed by our council executive board, the net proceeds from the sale will bolster the council's endowment and, most importantly, will allow us to focus on delivering additional quality programs at Camp Tahquitz [in the San Bernardino Mountains] and at the Sea Scout Aquatics Center [in Alamitos Bay.]

The most exciting opportunity is continuing our aggressive efforts to improve Camp Tahquitz, the Sea Scout Aquatics Center, and our Council Service Center...