After months of community protest against the closure of Federal Way-based Camp Kilworth, the Pacific Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts of America has confirmed the camp will close Tuesday, March 1.

Ralph Voelker, Scout Executive of the Pacific Harbors Council, said they will retain a caretaker at the camp and will continue to look at all of the options.

The Pacific Harbors Council voted Dec. 16 to close the camp, as well as four other properties it owns, because of financial difficulties.

A decline in Scout membership and decreased camp use prompted them to go with a “one-camp plan,” which includes maintaining Camp Thunderbird, a 200-acre piece of property on Summit Lake in Olympia, and the Creighton Center in Tacoma. In addition to Camp Kilworth, Camp Curran in Tacoma, Camp Delezenne in Elma and Camp Hahobas in Tahuya will close. The Tumwater Service Center will be replaced with a smaller rental property.

Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and even some Girl Scouts who are upset with the camp’s closure signed a petition, wrote letters and even appealed to the Federal Way City Council for support during a City Council meeting on Feb. 16.

At that meeting, nearly 15 people gave public comment asking council members to contact the Pacific Harbors Council and push for more time before they closed the camp. The time would allow them to set up Friends of Camp Kilworth, a nonprofit they would operate to maintain and market the camp.

“A 501(c)(3) for Camp Kilworth would alleviate the financial burden for the Pacific Harbors Council as this due organization could take over the fundraising, operations and marketing of the camp,” said Bryan Tabrum, a volunteer leader with Troop 336, at the City Council meeting. “In addition, it would be a goal for this nonprofit to maximize the camp’s use by making it available to all youth organizations.”

While the City Council spoke about the issue at their recent retreat, city of Federal Way spokeswoman Cathy Schrock confirmed there had been no communication or meetings between the two councils as of Feb. 24.

But at this point, it may be out of both the councils’ hands.

“The deed is very clear that the Pacific Harbors Council does not have the ability to consider the Friends of Camp Kilworth’s proposal,” Voelker said in an email. “The donor can consider it. This will be one of the questions we ask them when we meet with their representatives. We are hopeful that it is an option that can be considered.”

In 2005, the Pacific Harbors Council announced that they wanted to sell Camp Kilworth – and the city of Federal Way wanted to buy – but was stopped by the property’s trustees, who claimed its sale would violate a 1934 deed from previous owner William Kilworth’s second wife. There was a requirement in the deed that the property must always be used for scouting purposes.

After the Washington Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal, the case was closed.

For more information, visit pacificharbors.org.