Dear Housatonic Council Members,
 

On August 18, the Council Board and chartered organization representatives voted to merge with the Connecticut Rivers Council. This decision followed a long and diligent effort to explore every opportunity to provide the best possible Scouting experience for the youth of the Valley.
 

This merger should not be viewed as a failure on our part, but as the beginning of a new chapter for Scouting in the Valley. It will allow us to take advantage of additional resources and opportunities for our youth while eliminating redundant costs between the two councils. It will also enable a larger group of Scouts to enjoy Camp Strang and provide the camp with a much-needed investment of funding and resources.
 

At the unit level, you will continue conducting your meetings and events as you always have. What will change is that more resources will become available, including training, recruitment assistance, and additional events.
 

The merger must be approved at the state level, a process that may take two to five months. I ask for your patience as we work through this transition. In the meantime, we have approved a service agreement with Connecticut Rivers Council, which will allow its staff to begin assisting immediately with the council office’s daily operations.
 

For those who did not support the merger and wanted Housatonic to remain a separate council, I understand your feelings. I, too, was opposed to the merger when I first heard about it. However, as I carefully weighed the pros and cons, I came to see that it offers many more positive benefits for our youth and Camp Strang.
 

Our program has been stagnant for many years. The same dozen people have been wearing multiple hats and taking on numerous responsibilities, and they are becoming burned out. Our camp has lost money each year for the past five to ten years and requires significant improvements. This merger will help address many of these challenges while allowing us to maintain our identity as the Housatonic District.
 

Regardless of your feelings about the merger, I ask all of you to continue supporting Scouting in the Valley. Please do not view Connecticut Rivers Council as “them” and Housatonic as “us.” Instead, let us move forward together as one community supporting Scouting in our homes, our towns, and our state.
 

Sincerely,
 

Paul Uhrynowski
President, Designee