Mount Hope is making necessary reparations and preparations for the influx of people they are expecting in the area next summer. The Boy Scouts of America will be opening The Summit Bechtel Reserve in July 2013.
"There is a lot of hope for Mount Hope," says resident, Melisa Wykle. The city is kicking construction into overdrive.
The mayor says it's out with the old and in with the new. "We're looking to, certainly. We're looking to attract some of these hundred full time folks who will be here with the boy scouts who would like to live close to where they work," says Mayor Michael Martin. He hopes the current projects will be completed by next summer.
Construction and preparations include demolishing dilapidated houses, clearing the floodplain, repaving and lighting Main Street, and a new waterline and tank to support the Boys Scouts property.
Mount Hope is even making a new comprehensive plan. Residents will be able to review the current state of the city and plan for what's next, according to Mayor Martin. This should be available and before council by the first of the year.
Wykle says these improvements are a long time coming. "Since the boy scouts are coming, they're finally putting their foot in the mud and getting it done faster," she says.
Residents say this is an exciting time for the city.
"It makes our city of Mount Hope look better… more welcoming to other business people who may want to put a business in our town. And for people who want to come and shop in our little shops that we have here in Mount Hope," says Wykle.
"The faster things can begin to happen, then the more prepared we will be. That is the Boy Scout motto after all, ‘Be prepared,'" says Mayor Martin.
Mount Hope Mayor, Michael Martin
