Roselle scouts say they don't want to move

Roselle park district officials spent Thursday explaining to an upset group of parents why their local scout troops will likely need a new meeting space for at least the next year.

Parks Director Tom Kruse couldn't say if or when Boy Scout Troop 194 would be able to reclaim their home of five decades.

"All the options we had (to avoid moving the boy scout troop) fell through for a variety of reasons," Kruse told an audience of parents Thursday at St. Walter Catholic School. "It was a board action that brought us to this. I don't want to over-commit to anything."

The Roselle Park District decided last week to transform scout's meeting place, located at 304 E. Pine St., from a meeting room to a storage facility for the Roselle Medinah Softball and Baseball Organization, a local sports group. The park district has an agreement to provide fields and facilities, including equipment storage, for the group, Kruse said.

Kruse reiterated to the group that park district officials exhausted efforts in trying to find alternative sites. The only other option was to use public storage, which would cost $1,000 each month.

For at least the next year, Kruse told parents they would be able to use the Medinah Park District's Thorndale Recreation Center as meeting space at no charge.

Yet most parents and scout organizers seemed more interested in finding out exactly what they needed to do to reclaim their lost space.

"There's heart and soul in that building," said Marc Jach, scoutmaster of Troop 194. "It's not just four walls and a roof. I hope you can understand our emotions. This building means so much to us. The scout lodge has been our home."

In 1954, the scout lodge was built with the assistance of the local Lions Club, which helped get money and approvals processed by the village. Kruse said the building no longer meets handicapped accessibility codes and is in need of repair that could cost up to $100,000.

Several parents at Thursday's meeting said they'd be willing to seek the money for the rehab work.

The Roselle Park District board is expected to discuss the situation with the scout's lodge again at their meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Clauss Recreation Center, located at 555 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.