CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- If everything goes as planned, Fayette County will become the permanent host of the Boy Scouts of America's National Jamboree, a 10-day event that attracts nearly 40,000 Scouts and another 200,000 visitors every four years.

The Boy Scouts hope to announce Nov. 18 that they're building a $100 million National Scout Jamboree Center on a 10,600-acre site beside the New River Gorge, according to those familiar with the project.

The Scouts also are building a high-adventure center on the Garden Ground Mountain site near Glen Jean.

The Scouts are expected to invest up to $250 million for both projects, which will be called the National Scouting Center.

"This would put Fayette County and Southern West Virginia on the world stage," said Matt Wender, a Fayette County commissioner. "It's a tremendous opportunity."

The center would host the Scouts' 2013 Jamboree - and subsequent Jamborees every four years.

A news conference has been scheduled for Nov. 18 in Glen Jean.

"I can't tell you for sure we're going to have a decision on the Jamboree Center by Nov. 18, but we're working toward that," Scouts spokesman David LaValle said Friday. "We're hopeful we can move forward on this. We're going to have some big news to announce, but we can't put the cart before the horse."

LaValle said that the organization is conducting "final due diligence" to ensure the site is suitable for the Jamboree project.

The Fayette County property is the only site under consideration for the Jamboree Center, LaValle confirmed. He said the Boy Scouts continues to review engineering studies on the Fayette site.

"We want the Jamboree Center to be part of the project," LaValle said, "but until we do all of our homework, no final decisions will be made."

The night before the Scouts' news conference, Gov. Joe Manchin and first lady Gayle Manchin plan to host a $1,000-per-person private reception and dinner at the Culture Center to announce the Boy Scouts' plans.

National Boy Scouts of America Commissioner Tico Perez and three other top executives from the national office plan to speak at the invitation-only event.

Money raised at the Scouts' "preview announcement" will benefit the Boy Scouts' local Buckskin Council.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- If everything goes as planned, Fayette County will become the permanent host of the Boy Scouts of America's National Jamboree, a 10-day event that attracts nearly 40,000 Scouts and another 200,000 visitors every four years.

The Boy Scouts hope to announce Nov. 18 that they're building a $100 million National Scout Jamboree Center on a 10,600-acre site beside the New River Gorge, according to those familiar with the project.

The Scouts also are building a high-adventure center on the Garden Ground Mountain site near Glen Jean.

The Scouts are expected to invest up to $250 million for both projects, which will be called the National Scouting Center.

"This would put Fayette County and Southern West Virginia on the world stage," said Matt Wender, a Fayette County commissioner. "It's a tremendous opportunity."

The center would host the Scouts' 2013 Jamboree - and subsequent Jamborees every four years.

A news conference has been scheduled for Nov. 18 in Glen Jean.

"I can't tell you for sure we're going to have a decision on the Jamboree Center by Nov. 18, but we're working toward that," Scouts spokesman David LaValle said Friday. "We're hopeful we can move forward on this. We're going to have some big news to announce, but we can't put the cart before the horse."

LaValle said that the organization is conducting "final due diligence" to ensure the site is suitable for the Jamboree project.

The Fayette County property is the only site under consideration for the Jamboree Center, LaValle confirmed. He said the Boy Scouts continues to review engineering studies on the Fayette site.

"We want the Jamboree Center to be part of the project," LaValle said, "but until we do all of our homework, no final decisions will be made."

The night before the Scouts' news conference, Gov. Joe Manchin and first lady Gayle Manchin plan to host a $1,000-per-person private reception and dinner at the Culture Center to announce the Boy Scouts' plans.

National Boy Scouts of America Commissioner Tico Perez and three other top executives from the national office plan to speak at the invitation-only event.

Money raised at the Scouts' "preview announcement" will benefit the Boy Scouts' local Buckskin Council.

Earlier this year, a Buckskin Council task force recommended possibly selling or leasing three of its camps. The council is losing about $80,000 a year on the camps.

The Boy Scouts of America finalized the purchase of the Fayette County site earlier this week.

In June, the Scouts announced plans to build the high-adventure base in Fayette County and the Jamboree Center in Rockbridge County, Va. Two months later, the Scouts scrapped the proposal to build the Jamboree Center in Virginia, citing concerns about water and sewer capacity. Some area residents also opposed the project.

The Scouts initially balked at building the Jamboree Center on the Fayette County property because of its rugged topography. Scout leaders changed their minds after visiting the site on numerous occasions.

"I sure hope we get it," Wender said. "The project, in and of itself, is a huge economic development project for Fayette County, but we also have to figure out how we can spread that economic benefit throughout the county."

The Boy Scouts held its first National Jamboree in 1937.

Since 1981, the Jamboree has taken place at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.

During the event, more than 18,000 tents and 3,600 patrol kitchens are set up. Scouts take part in outdoor, environmental and leadership programs.

If selected for the National Jamboree Center, the Fayette County site also could host future World Scout Jamborees, which attract tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world.

The Boy Scouts of America plans to start construction on the high-adventure base in Fayette County next year and open the facility in 2012. That project could bring as many as 80 full-time jobs and 1,000 seasonal jobs to the area.

The high-adventure base would host as many as 50,000 Scouts a year. The Jamboree and high-adventure centers likely would be built simultaneously.

At the Nov. 18 press conference, the Scouts also are expected to announce a $50 million grant from the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation that would help pay for the National Scouting Center.

Reach Eric Eyre at erice...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4869.