Western Md. Camp For Troubled Boys Has New Owner

OLDTOWN, Md. (AP) — A western Maryland camp for troubled boys is growing a year after it reopened as a private, religious boarding school.

The Cumberland Times-News reports that the Mennonite-affiliated Allegany Boys Camp near Oldtown has 17 residents, compared with three last year.

The rustic, 300-acre site is overseen by operators of the Bald Eagle Boys Camp in Mill Hall, Pa., while a separate board seeks nonprofit certification for the Maryland property.

The camp was previously run by Three Springs New Dominion as a residential treatment center under the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. The Alabama-based group closed it 2008 amid complaints from neighbors about security lapses.

The new owners say they offer up to 18 months of therapeutic, faith-based camping for boys aged 9 to 16.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)