$1.9M sale of Suffolk Scouts Council will help fund national sex-abuse settlement

The Suffolk County chapter of the Boy Scouts of America is completing the sale of its former Medford headquarters, for about $1.9 million, to help settle lawsuits filed by thousands of sex-abuse victims against the chapter’s national parent and hundreds of affiliates.

Suffolk Council president David G. Hunt told Newsday that proceeds from the sale will cover the chapter’s $1.72 million share of the proposed $2.7 billion settlement, which is being weighed by a federal bankruptcy court judge in Delaware.

The Suffolk Council moved in April into a new headquarters in Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville. Hunt said the council signed a five-year lease with a five-year option to use the 3,200-square-foot, second-floor office.

The scouts agreed to pay $4,400 monthly rent, Brookhaven officials said. 

“The move that we made to Brookhaven was really beneficial for the council,” Hunt said. “We have all the parking we could ever need for any event.”

The new office includes a store where scouts can buy uniforms and other supplies. It is open each weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hunt said.

Suffolk scouting officials sought a new home after agreeing last year to sell the 14,400-square-foot building at 7 Scouting Blvd. in Medford to help pay its portion of the proposed settlement.

The settlement would require Dallas-based Boy Scouts of America, its 250 local councils and supporters, including some religious groups, to contribute to a trust that will distribute payments to more than 80,000 victims.

Many victims oppose the deal because they believe local councils should pay more into the fund, said Jason Amala, a lawyer at Seattle law firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, which represents about 1,000 plaintiffs in the case. The councils have $1.8 billion in assets but would be allowed to keep about $1.2 billion, Amala said.

“The majority of our clients oppose the plan,” he said. “People are saying you’re facing that massive exposure, why are you able to keep the cash?” 

Federal Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge Laurie Selber-Silverstein, ruling in Wilmington, Delaware, is expected to issue a decision “very soon,” Amala said.

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said the town was happy to provide a new home for the Suffolk council, which supervises about 170 Boy Scout troops, Cub Scout packs and other programs.

“Let me tell you, the town can always use revenue,” Romaine said. “It’s a win-win for everyone. They have a home. It’s centrally located. We have a tenant. … It will help keep expenses down and bring in additional revenue.”

The office had been unused storage space before the scouts moved in, Romaine said.

Hunt said the council moved its 15 employees from Medford to Farmingville and added a new position. He said in addition to the office, the council will be allowed to use town hall meeting rooms when they are not being used for town business.

“We’re very pleased with the Town of Brookhaven,” Hunt said. “They’re a terrific partner for us.” 

Correction: The Suffolk County Council of Boy Scouts of America pays $4,400 monthly rent for space in Brookhaven Town Hall. The rent was incorrect in an earlier version of the story.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.