Burnet’s longtime Girl Scout house is facing an uncertain future due to rising costs, forcing Central Texas Girl Scout leadership to offload the house and leave local scouts without a meeting space. But, overwhelming community support has eased the strain on the scouts.

Operating since 1984, the S.H. Reed Community Girl Scout House has been a hub for many young girls to learn life skills, become leaders, and exude confidence.

Serving as the main scout house for the entirety of Burnet, Llano, and San Saba counties, the building has hosted many scout camps, birthdays, holiday parties, and has become a cornerstone of the scout community in the area.

However, due to rising operating costs, the broader Girl Scouts of Central Texas organization had to offload several of its properties across the area, including Burnet’s house which was given to a local church. With the cost of liability insurance, electricity, and maintenance, the scout organization would likely need to pay significantly discounted rent to stay in the space.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation,” parent volunteer Teryl McFerrin told DailyTrib. “Nobody is at fault here. The Girl Scouts of Central Texas has to reallocate funding, and the church has to make income.”

Girl Scout Service Unit Director Kimi Pridgeon echoed McFerrin’s sentiments, noting that the Girl Scouts of Central Texas organization has been going through many funding challenges, having to close several houses and cut back on trips.

“There’s a lot of houses being closed right now,” Pridgeon said. “(Leadership) told me that they were basically only able to keep four or five houses total for the Girl Scouts of Central Texas, and that includes their camping properties.”

Many of those said camping properties have either been closed entirely or on pause in the wake of changing regulations due to the July 5, 2025, floods.

“Our closest Girl Scout camp in Spicewood is on pause right now,” Pridgeon added. “Because of all the camp reform going on from the flooding, they have to do a lot of upgrades to make it usable again.”

Despite the uncertainty that the Girl Scouts are facing, community support has eased the tension. Since Unit Director Pridgeon shared the scout house’s fate on Facebook on Thursday, Aug. 20, several local businesses, organizations, and residents have reached out to offer aid.

“The community has jumped in quickly,” McFerrin said. “It had been less than a day and my phone was full with people asking, ‘what can we do?’ I think it’s just a testament to how visible the girls are in the community and that they’re always willing to help. People just believe it’s a good organization to get behind.”

That sense of service and community support has gone both ways for decades.

Community members have pitched in to help the scouts in times like cookie season, and the scouts have rolled up their sleeves to help with several events and in times of need like during the July flood recovery efforts.

“The kids are learning how to take care of the community,” McFerrin said. “They served hot chocolate at Lighting the Square, they worked Christmas on the Square, Bluebonnet Festival, served lemonade at Boutiques and Brews. There’s just a heart for service.”

That heart for service will continue, no matter what building the scouts end up in next.

“The community sees what we do and is going to make sure we have their support,” McFerrin said. “I think that there’s a really positive future ahead of us.”

caden@thepicayune.com