Mark Baylis, founder of VALOR Clinic Foundation, sought a letter of support from Polk Township supervisors during their meeting Monday.

“VALOR would like to buy Camp Trexler to keep it as close as possible to what it is right now,” Baylis said.

The Boy Scout camp is across the street from VALOR’s homeless shelter, Paul’s House, in Jonas. There’s been talk of developers buying the camp.

“We’d hate to see that watershed destroyed by houses. We love what they’re getting done at VALOR and there is a need for veterans’ programs,” said Polk Township chairman Brian Ahner.

“We help veterans get back on their feet. We have a program that will work well at Trexler,” Baylis said.

The program is called Veterans Unstoppable, a five-step program for helping veterans make a smoother transition to civilian life.

The five steps include managing the here and now, strengthening relationships, making peace with emotional scars, building a life plan and healthy lifestyle adjustments.

This program would be offered at no cost to qualifying veterans. The three-session retreat occurs over a long weekend (Friday through Monday) each month for three months.

“We would partner with a veterans job training company that would deliver technical job training in the areas of broadband and renewable energy installation,” he said.

He said the camp would be a “blended program facility. Our veteran-specific food security programs have outgrown our current facility. We have been borrowing freezer space for our meats in the Camp Trexler Cub Scout dining hall for years,” he said.

If VALOR purchases the camp, the food security program would move into the Boy Scout dining hall, which is a bigger space.

He said they serve 75,000 meals a year at Paul’s House.

Baylis would also like to form a partnership with the Boy Scouts.

Supervisor Carl Heckman asked about VALOR’s financial ability to maintain such a site and program.

Baylis said that they raise about $250,000 a year in grassroots fundraising and have low overhead. There are numerous grants they can apply for, he said.

VALOR owns Paul’s House and the Veterans Unstoppable Retreat in Lake Harmony.

The supervisors voted to draft a letter in support of VALOR’s intent for the camp.

Baylis said he recently met with Chestnuthill Township, which part of the camp is in, and they wanted to hear Polk’s thoughts.

Baylis said the sale of the camp is coming soon, maybe as early as March.

In other business:

• Supervisors approved three new ordinances pertaining to wood fire burners, fireworks and food trucks. The ordinances are on the township website, https://polktwp.org.

• Supervisors approved secretary Rebecca Tippett’s request to attend a three-day continuing education class in March and zoning officer Tracy Herman’s request to take a mechanical inspector exam.

• The Park and Recreation committee’s next meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday.