Scouting officials ban swimming in Sand Hill Scout Reservation's seven bodies of water, although controlled activities will continue.
By DUANE BOURNE
Published August 27, 2003
SPRING HILL - A month after the drowning death of a camp instructor, Boy Scout officials have banned swimming on the entire Sand Hill Scout Reservation.
In making the announcement Tuesday, scout officials said that no one will be allowed to swim or wade in any one of the reservation's seven small lakes and ponds.
The ban was recommended by a task force formed to investigate safety procedures following the July 25 drowning. The move, however, does not prohibit "controlled" activities, such as canoeing and snorkeling, which will continue to be monitored by trained staff, said John Cabeza, the chief executive officer of the West Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts.
Groups also will be required to complete two water safety programs and obtain a camp-use permit that outlines the current ban and similar safety procedures, Cabeza said.
The "reinforcement of policy" as Cabeza called it, comes after climbing instructor Jeff Sharlow, 16, drowned in a small lake one day before the camp was scheduled to end for the summer.
On July 25, Sharlow of St. Petersburg and another instructor, Kim Vogel, 43, of Tarpon Springs, were wading through chest-deep water when Sharlow apparently fell into a 20-foot-deep hole and drowned, authorities said.
After the incident, scout officials created an eight-member Council Accident Task Force to examine safety procedures and piece together the events that led to the first death of a Boy Scout at the reservation. The task force included lawyers, doctors and insurance agents.
"No issues were found in the incident itself," Cabeza said. "We did everything we could to handle the situation. We felt that policies were followed and it was just a tragic incident."
Initially, the task force had banned swimming in the lake where Sharlow died as they launched their internal inquiry. However, the committee chose to formally extend the ban to all seven of the reservation's lakes to make sure that Sand Hill remains a "safe haven" for the more than 1,200 scouts who attend camp there yearly, Cabeza said.
Until now, Cabeza said, there was no written policy prohibiting swimming in the lakes. But he confirmed the task force's recommendations will help strengthen training and safety procedures for campers and counselors.
In the meantime, officials are looking for ways to post no-swimming signs throughout the 1,300-acre reservation, which is owned by the Gulf Ridge and West Central Florida councils of Boy Scouts of America.
"We don't want to lose another scout," Cabeza said.
New safety measures will not be the only change at the reservation as a result of Sharlow's death. The Boy Scout council plans to name a new adventure center at the reservation in Sharlow's memory. At their annual meeting in Clearwater this month, Boy Scout officials announced plans to raise $100,000 for the new Jeff Sharlow High Adventure Center.
The new center will rest among the pine and hardwood trees in a roughly 15-acre section of the reservation. When completed, scouts will be able to hold meetings, store ropes and other equipment and take bathroom breaks at the center.
- Duane Bourne can be reached at 754-6114. Send e-mail to dbourne@sptimes.com
