Washington State University has reached an agreement to sell Camp Roger Larson to the Coeur d’Alene Tribe for $1.4 million, plus a $1 million fund from the tribe to be paid over five years to WSU to support Native American educational programs.
The sales agreement is subject to final approval by the WSU Board of Regents. The agreement will be on the agenda for the regents’ Sept. 10 meeting in
“I am very pleased with this agreement, and we are looking forward to working with the
Tribal officials are meeting with WSU administrators to determine what programs will be developed with the funds provided by the tribe for the educational partnership. Among the ideas under consideration are scholarship funding and programs both at the tribal lands and at the WSU campus in
“We are looking forward to working with the
“The
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The site includes 40.55 acres on
In March 2003, WSU officials announced the closure of the camp. At the time, university officials cited the poor condition of the camp facilities. The WSU Office of Business Affairs estimates the current cost of bringing the facilities up to minimum standards and making them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements would be $5 million. Liability concerns also were a factor in the decision.
The camp was named for former director Roger C. Larson, a long-time WSU physical education faculty member. Over the years it has served as a camp for youth with handicaps and for teacher training. Before the camp’s closure, WSU’s
“Roger Larson built a camp for children that served the needs of the handicapped community for over three decades. Our family lived and worked at the camp during that entire time, and we are saddened by its closure. But we are also pleased that the university has chosen a way for Roger’s legacy of helping people to live on through the provision of educational assistance for Native Americans,” said Christine Larson, daughter of Roger Larson.